Borderlands: The Movie
by leady129
Summary: After crash landing on the planet of Pandora, the race is on between four mercenaries, a mega-corporation, and the local bandits to find a mythical vault and reap it's rewards. Written in film script format.
1. The Legend of the Vault

_Notes: This is something of an experiment for me, having not tried my hand at a fan fiction/script before. I'll be trying to keep the essence of the games story as well as it's fun and light hearted nature however I also plan on making some pretty big changes to the overall narrative to try and make it a bit more 'cinematic'. Anyway, hope you enjoy. Feedback is more than welcome._

* * *

**BORDERLANDS**

1.

_A black screen. Opening titles may appear here depending on how suitable it feels in editing. A soft orchestral score underlines Marcus's speech slowly becoming darker as the introduction continues._

MARCUS [VO]

Children. Gather 'round, gather 'round.

(pause)

So… You want to hear a story, hmm? How about the story; of the vault.

2. INT. PROMETHEUS VAULT, VARIOUS LOCATIONS – DAY

_Flashes of the vault supposedly found on the planet of Prometheus. These flashes represent Marcus's version of the story and do not necessarily represent the facts as they occurred. Massive stone doors slowly open to blinding sunlight. Dark blue stone walls covered with strange symbols which almost appear to glow a bright silver. Thick pillars lining what appears to be an almost endless hall, the far end fading into darkness. Meanwhile the narration continues over the top of the images._

MARCUS [VO]

They say, a vault was discovered on the nearby planet of Prometheus.

3. INT. PROMETHEUS VAULT, TREASURE ROOMS – DAY

_More flashes, this time all within a single large room. Strewn across the room are ancient, alien, Eridian weapons, piles of gold; some of it shaped into coin-like shapes, some just a small nuggets._

MARCUS [VO]

Inside, they found many treasures: technology; which would advance our own one hundred years, wealth; enough to purchase entire galaxies.

4. INT. PROMETEUS VAULT, TREASURE ROOM – DAY

T_he flashes depict snippets of a conflict between two small groups inside of the vault. One of the groups is defeated although only one lone man remains from the other group. He walks out alone._

MARCUS [VO]

Power… … … And corruption.

5. EXT. PANDORA, DESERT FLATS – DAY

_The flashes give us glimpses of Pandora although they, like all the flashes before are distorted and do not reveal much beyond rock and massive industrial mining vehicles. A twenty story high mining truck with a gigantic circular device on the front, which almost resembles a saw-blade, is glanced in at least one of the flashes. Other shots include scientists standing around talking, pick axes hitting the ground and a line of slaves walking past an armed soldier._

MARCUS [VO]

Believing that a similar vault was on our planet, they came and overturned nearly every pebble in the search for it... But they found nothing.

6. INT. PANDORA VAULT, ENTRANCE – DAY

_Although this is the Pandora vault, there is no explicit information given to actually confirm this, leaving audiences to make up their own minds at this stage as to whether they want to believe that this is the Pandora vault or the one back on Prometheus. The frame is filled with one of the glowing silver symbols on a dark blue stone wall. The symbol is the upside-down V within a circle. As Marcus finishes his story the camera slowly tracks in towards the symbol._

MARCUS [VO]

And so, they left. And we went back to our lives, the vault becoming nothing more than a story we told to our children. Its very existence a myth… … … or so we thought.

7. INT. PANDORA VAULT, ENTRANCE – DAY

_As the speech finishes the score swells up into a crescendo as the symbol on the wall becomes brighter to the point of detaching itself and becoming a title card, allowing the background of the frame to fade to black. The symbol moves backwards and the title of the film "Borderlands" appears on screen with the symbol becoming the "o" in the title._


	2. Prisoners

_Notes: So, the beginning of the story proper. Unlike the Prologue which is almost lifted straight from the game's opening, this chapter takes a massive deviation from the source material both with events and the characters themselves. It's always a real challenge for me when scripting the opening chapters to find the right balance between character introduction, story exposition and throwing in something fancy for those who are just here for the explosions and fight scenes so I'm hoping I managed to find the right amount of each (fights and explosions have been pushed back a chapter). Anyway, I hope you enjoy part two._

* * *

8. EXT. SPACE, ABOVE PANDORA – DAY

_A medium sized planet fills a portion of the screen. Unlike Earth, this planet is made up mostly of landmass with a few large lakes dotted around the surface. The side facing the sun is predominantly yellow desert coloured and the dark side is white with snow with only a small band near the transition point showing much greenery._

_A small shuttle passes in front of the planet, stealing our attention. Panning with the shuttle the camera moves away from the planet to reveal a large "star ship" floating close to the planet. Unlike the shuttle, which is quite rectangular and almost represents a bus, the large ship is more rounded and exhibits the appearance of a classic space ship. The Atlas logo can be seen printed on the side of the ship._

_The shuttle heads directly towards the ship, aiming for a small opening on the underside._

9. INT. ATLAS SHIP, DOCKING BAY CONTROL ROOM – DAY

_JACK HARREM stands next to a glass wall overlooking one of the large docking bays on the ship. Through the glass the shuttle from the previous scene can be seen hovering above the floor preparing to land._

_As it begins to lower a small line of soldiers cautiously approach the landing area, making sure that they stay on the proper side of a striped line on the floor marking the safe area one can stand from a landing shuttle._

_After a moment watching Jack turns and exits frame._

10. INT. ATLAS SHIP, DOCKING BAY – DAY

_The landing legs, which have extended down from the shuttle, touch down on the steel floor and the shuttle eases it's weight onto them. Once the majority of the weight is taken, the landing thrusters, which are pointed at the floor, having been giving the shuttle it's lift up until now, are powered down allowing the legs to take the remainder of the shuttles weight. The thrusters' swivel upward and a cooling substance is sprayed onto the ground where they were recently pointing causing steam to billow out from underneath the ship for a few seconds._

_On the other side of the bay, JACK enters through a large door, which slides off to the side as he steps through it._

_Making a beeline straight for the shuttle he finds himself walking between two rows of moderately armoured soldiers, each bearing the Atlas mark on the chest of their armour._

_Arriving at the minimum safe distance to the shuttle Jack comes to a stop and looks over towards his visitors._

_Behind the door of the shuttle, air can be heard being pumped into the small craft as it pressurises with the ship. After a moment this noise is replaced with a loud hum as unseen gears push the shuttle's door outwards, causing it to stick out a foot before rolling over to one side._

_As the door opens two Crimson Lance mercenaries are revealed, still in their full body, deep red armour suits._

_The two mercenaries step forwards and part slightly to reveal…_

_LILITH, hands behind her back. Although they cannot be seen yet, they are bound by what appear to be two tubes with a bright blue pulsing energy core connected together to form a basic hand cuff shape. Two more Crimson Lance mercenaries are leading her, each holding an arm just above her elbow. She's not putting up any real resistance, giving the impression that she's used up most of her energy before this point. Although clearly not happy with her situation she keeps her face as blank as possible. Only her short, fiery red hair gives any real indication of the earlier struggle, with strands shooting off messily in every direction._

_Jack allows a victorious smile to cover his face as the four mercenaries walk their prisoner up to his position, placing Lilith only a few feet in front of him._

_Jack looks into her face, taking in her bright green eyes for a moment._

JACK

Well… It's about time.

_He lowers his gaze running over her body at first but then following her arms stopping at where her hands would be if not covered by her body._

JACK

It's good to see we don't make the same mistake twice.

_As he says this he redirects his eyes to glare at one of the Atlas soldiers standing in the row to his right. The soldier flicks his eyes towards Jack but quickly returns to watching Lilith and the mercenaries._

_Meanwhile, Jack looks over to the other row where two soldiers immediately step forward_.

JACK

Take her to the holding cells.

_Both soldiers step up to Lilith and grab an arm each, replacing the Crimson Lance mercenaries who were previously holding her. Walking her past Jack they manage to go a few paces before being stopped by Jack's voice being directed at them from behind._

JACK

And, try to remember what she is this time. So be careful.

_Acknowledging this with a nod of their heads, both soldiers turn and resume walking Lilith to the cells._

_Jack meanwhile turns back to the Crimson Lance mercenary closest to him._

JACK

Give my regards to the General.

11. INT. ATLAS SHIP, HOLDING CELLS – DAY

_A thin corridor runs down with holding cells on both sides. Whilst the corridor is lit the cells themselves are not, although at regular intervals a thick window in the side of the ship allows some light to spill through. A dull orange colored energy field makes up the front of each cell._

_The force field for one of the more spacious cells is taken down briefly and LILITH is pushed through before it immediately comes up again._

_As soon as she manages to stop herself and catch her balance Lilith turns back towards the door and crouches down, forcing her hands, still held together, under her hips before stepping over them, bringing them in front of her body._

_Looking through the energy field at the guards who are already walking away back to their posts, Lilith raises both hands and runs towards the energy field, rage in her eyes._

_She smashes into it, treating it as though it were glass and able to shatter, however instead of breaking it Lilith is suddenly thrown back a few feet, a loud electric crackle being heard as she contacts the field._

_Managing to grab her balance before she falls over Lilith stands stunned for a few moments as energy passes through her body._

_Surprised, but now twice as angry she raises her arms to try again and starts to rush forwards._

MORDECAI [OS]

I wouldn't try that again if I were you.

_Lilith stops mid rush and swings around towards the voice coming from the back of her cell._

_Her eyes strain to adjust to the dark and all she can see at the moment are shadows._

MORDECAI [OS]

The last prisoner in here knocked himself unconscious after his second attempt… Died on the third.

_Lilith's eyes are beginning to adjust to the dark and some of the shadows look like they're taking on shapes, but she still can't see who is talking._

LILITH

Who are you?

_Suddenly, one of the shadows stands up and begins to walk towards Lilith. As it approaches her, the figure steps into a pool of light and is revealed to be MORDECAI._

_A thin lanky man, almost all skin and bone. A goatee hangs down from his chin and long black hair pulled back into a pony-tail sits just above his piecing brown eyes._

MORDECAI

The name's Mordecai. And you?

LILITH

Lilith… How did you end up here?

_Mordecai chuckles slightly at the question and begins to round Lilith during his dialogue eventually putting himself between Lilith and the field covering the entrance._

MORDECAI

I tell you what; you tell me your story, and I will tell you mine. How is it a pretty young thing such as yourself has ended up in this cold, dark place?

_Lilith looks back at Mordecai for a moment. Sizing him up and still trying to decide whether or not he's dangerous, she eventually exhales loudly and decides to continue the conversation, for now._

LILITH

I'm a Siren.

_For a moment, Mordecai adopts a slightly darker tone of voice and his body stiffens._

MORDECAI

Are you now!

_It's not a question. However he quickly realises what he's doing and reverts back to his lighter, slightly friendlier tone._

MORDECAI

So I suppose you can hear my every thought right now?

_For a moment his eyes flick down to her breasts before quickly coming back up to her face. She gives a brief sarcastic smile._

LILITH

You can relax.

_She raises her hands to show Mordecai the pulsing blue device attached to her wrists._

LILITH

I can't hear anything… Not that I need to.

_Mordecai is a little taken aback by this causing his eyes to briefly widen._

MORDECAI

Well, I guess by comparison my story is quite boring. Like most people in these cell's Brick and I simply managed to get on the wrong side of the Atlas Corporation.

LILITH

Brick?

_Mordecai changes his gaze to look past Lilith. Noticing this Lilith turns around and is startled to see the massive Berserker stood right behind her. The muscles bulging out from his upper torso and his neck are large enough to be grotesque. He has scars running down face, which although scary, behind the eyes almost seems to be childlike._

BRICK

Hello.

_Jumping back at the surprise of seeing BRICK stood so close behind her, Lilith stumbles backwards past Mordecai and finds herself running into the energy field, which once more sends her flying back into the cell with a loud crack._

_The energy courses through her body for almost twice as long as it did the previous time leaving her stunned although she does not pass out as Mordecai insinuated she might earlier._

_The moment the energy leaves her and the spasms stop she points towards Brick._

LILITH

What… is that?

_Brick looks over to Mordecai, confused and just a little bit hurt._

MORDECAI

It's alright Brick. I'm sure she didn't mean to hurt your feelings. (To Lilith) That… is a Thesean slave… You know, that's the main problem with the universe at the moment. Such a big place and yet so few law enforcement officers to keep any type of justice.

_Lilith is still staring down the hulk of a man in front of her._

MORDECAI

They used to use him for gambling – arena fights. Well, you can only pump so many performance drugs into a man before his body starts to shut down. His mind's been all but destroyed. He has the mental capacity of a ten year old.

_This time, Brick gives Mordecai a growl. True as the story is, he doesn't like hearing these things._

MORDECAI

Anyway, when my partner and I…

LILITH

Partner?..

MORDECAI

… went down to the planet, Brick here helped us out of a tough situation after we broke him free. So, he's been travelling with us ever since.

LILITH

Wait, hang on. You mentioned a partner. Where's he?

_Mordecai looks over at Lilith before changing his gaze to look out of one of the windows._

MORDECAI

Hmm. If he has half a brain, he'll be on the other side of the galaxy by now.

_The camera moves back, passing through the glass and slowly pulls back from the large star ship to reveal… …_


	3. What took you so long?

_If there's any scene in this script which I'm likely to keep coming back to tinker with, it's this one. I ended up cutting this first action sequence in half as I ended up with more exposition than I originally intended. I promise this will be rectified in the next chapter where things really get insane. The style I'm using for this piece is actually a lot more descriptive than your standard script which generally reads more like a set of instructions. With that in mind, I hope you enjoy this section._

* * *

12. EXT. SPACE, ABOVE PANDORA – DAY

_As the camera slowly pulls back from the large Atlus ship, the score changes from a somewhat solemn tone to a more light hearted hero's theme._

_The camera continues to move away until, a few hundred meters from the large ship, we reveal a small one-man pod floating in space._

_Cutting to a reverse, so that we see it front on ROLAND is revealed seated behind the glass dome at the front of the pod._

_He takes a moment to look at the massive ship floating in front of him._

ROLAND

I should so be on the other side of the galaxy right now.

_Looking down to his right he quickly checks his equipment, taking a second to rummage among the unseen gadgets, ensuring everything is there._

_Satisfied, he quickly punches a few buttons on the 'dash' and the pod slowly starts to move forwards._

ROLAND

Well… Here we go.

_The pod picks up speed and races towards the Atlus ship. The sheer difference in size makes the image almost laughable._

_Inside the pod Roland reaches down, pulls out a helmet and pushes it down over his head attaching it firmly to the space suit he's already wearing._

_The pod is almost upon the large ship and still gaining speed._

_Grabbing his equipment with one hand Roland uses his other hand to hit a button somewhere to his left._

_With a loud hiss, the dome flies off of the pod and Roland is ejected into space._

_The small pod however continues on its course aiming for a section near the bottom of the Atlus ship._

13. INT. ATLUS SHIP, HOLDING CELLS – DAY

_MORDECAI, LILITH and BRICK have barely changed position. Mordecai is half way through some random story._

MORDECAI

…And then I had diarrhoea for a month…

_His story is interrupted as an impact causes the ship to shake around for a moment._

14. INT. ATLUS SHIP, BRIDGE – DAY

_The shriek of alarms is almost overpowering. JACK HARREM storms onto the bridge of the ship. The large but low room has futuristic computers lining the walls and a few rows set up in the middle of the room. A small, currently unoccupied space down the front is available where the ship can be flown. At the front is a glass panel which curves around, allowing a beautiful view of the planet they're currently orbiting. About half a dozen people are using the space._

JACK

What in the blazing hells was that?

_He directs his attention to a small weedy ANALYST sat in front of one of the computers near the front of the room, the holographic screen throwing up various diagrams of each of the ships floors as well as some design blue prints. A flashing red area indicates where the pod made impact on the underside of the ship near the engines._

ANALYST

I don't… something hit us.

_Jack is clearly after a little bit more than just the obvious._

JACK

Well thanks for noticing. WHAT? What hit us?

ANALYST

I don't know. The scanners never picked anything up.

_Slightly frustrated, Jack turns around and points to a SOLDIER stood just inside the room._

JACK

You. Take a small unit and check out the impact area, let me know what you find.

_He turns back to the analyst._

JACK

As for you. I want to know how the defences on this ship managed to let anything larger than a speck of dust get anywhere near our…

_He trails off as he glances towards the window. Hearing this, the analyst looks firstly at Jack and then follows his gaze, his eyes widening in surprise as he notices what's hovering just outside of the ship._

_Floating only a few inches from the curved glass panel which makes up the front of the bridge Roland has just attached a round detonator and is currently pulling four mines out, all attached by a cord and sticking them to the glass. He already has three out and is just in the process of attaching the fourth to complete the X shape created by the five objects._

_As the final mine is attached to the glass he looks up and his eyes widen as he realizes that the entire room is looking back at him._

_A beat._

_Reaching up, he hits the detonator, holds for another beat, and then brings his left arm over to his right and uses a small panel attached to his wrist._

_A small burst of compressed air shoots out the front of his suit, which propels him backwards about ten feet._

_There's a beat where nobody moves._

_Suddenly everyone jumps into action. Most people dive straight for the door leading out of the room._

_Jack however reaches across and takes a firm hold of the bottom of the desk he's stood next to._

_With a loud boom, the four mines explode shattering the window at the front._

_In the first few seconds, anything that isn't attached, including most of the personnel in the room, immediately fly towards the window and are sucked out into space._

_Jack's legs are lifted up from under him and he almost loses his grip on the desk. Adjusting his hands his body flaps around like a flag._

_Roland meanwhile has used a gun with what appears to be a grappling hook attachment and is reeling himself against the vacuum, entering the ship._

_He only just makes it past the windows before a thick blast shield comes down from the roof, sealing off the opening._

_For a moment Roland continues to float in the room however gravity is suddenly restored and he hits the floor hard on his stomach._

15. INT. ATLUS SHIP, HOLDING CELLS – DAY

_MORDECAI is looking up at the roof of the cell, presumably in the direction of the bridge. It's not clear whether or not he heard the explosion but the alarms ringing all over the ship give a pretty good indication that something is wrong._

_LILLITH decides to voice her frustrations vocally._

LILLITH

What the hell is going on?

_Mordecai readjusts his gaze to look her way._

MORDECAI

It's feels to me like we might be under attack… Unless…

_He turns to BRICK, all kinds of crazy and convoluted ideas suddenly running through his head._

MORDECAI

You don't think its…

_Even though he's thinking it, saying it out loud just starts to feel silly. Not catching onto his train of thought, Lillith's curiosity is piqued._

LILLITH

… Don't think it's what?

16. INT. ATLUS SHIP, BRIDGE – DAY

_The bridge is a mess. Many of the computers and their tables are still in place, having been attached to the floor, but any loose objects which didn't fly out of the window are strewn all over the room._

_ROLAND lies on the floor winded._

_Pushing himself onto his hands and knees, he reaches up with one hand and pulls the helmet off._

_The noise of a pistol cocking is suddenly heard almost right in front of him._

JACK

Roland.

_The tone is not welcoming. Jack looks up and acknowledges his adversary._

ROLAND

Hello Jack.

_Roland pulls himself up, keeping an eye on the gun trained at his head._

JACK

Here to rescue your friends, I assume.

ROLAND

Actually, no. I was here to talk to you.

17. INT. ATLUS SHIP, HOLDING CELLS – DAY

_A lone SOLDIER runs down the corridor connecting all the cells. As he approaches the MORDECAI cells he's stopped by a question._

MORDECAI

Hey… HEY! Do you know what's going on up there?

SOLDIER

Mate. I'm just a grunt. What makes you think I know anything?

_With that the soldier continues his jog down the corridor and Mordecai turns back to his cellmates._

LILLITH

So what if it is your friend Roland. What happens next?

MORDECAI

Well if this is anything like his last operation, I'd probably recommend getting into the foetal position now.

18. INT. ATLUS SHIP, BRIDGE – DAY

_ROLAND is now on his feet, stood facing JACK. Despite having a gun pointed at him, Roland seems very calm._

JACK

Well! What is it you want to discuss?

ROLAND

What's the rush?

_Roland begins to move slowly around the room as he speaks._

ROLAND

I figured I'd start with some small talk before we get to the serious conversation.

_He stops in front of a computer displaying an image of Pandora and takes a moment to look at the holographic screen._

ROLAND

Beautiful planet.

_Jack steps forward to get a better look at the screen. Making sure to keep his gun ready._

JACK

Pandora? It's a shit hole. Nothing but wastes and shantytowns. Half the planet is too damn hot to live and the other half will freeze you before you've gone ten yards.

_Roland turns away from the holographic screen, turning his back on Jack and casually walks over to a set of computers pushed up against the wall. Jack's eyes and gun follow him. He delivers the line as he's walking over._

ROLAND

So if it's such a bad planet, why is it that Atlus have taken such an interest in it?

_He turns back to Jack and leans against the desk, directly in front of one of the computers. He uses his left hand (The one furthest from Jack) to unzip a pocket in his suit and puts his hand in there._

_Jack's eye's narrow at this. He wants both of Roland's hands where he can see them. Adjusting him guns aim he plays along with Roland for the moment._

JACK

We came here to pick up a package.

_Roland adjusts his legs and takes his hand out of his pocket. Positioning the back of his palm on the edge of the desk he exchanges his weight and casually leans on the arm._

ROLAND

And it's taken eight months for it to get from the surface to the ship? I'd be sacking the postie.

_As he says this the film cuts to a shot under the desk where we see that the hand Roland is currently leaning on has a small, dark, round object held between two of his fingers._

_He uses the fingers to throw the object backwards under the desk._

_The object flies in the desired direction and sticks itself to a computer case, presumably for the one directly above which Roland is using his body to block from Jack's view._

_Behind Jack's back, the computer screen suddenly starts displaying various codes given to it by the device recently attached._

19. INT. ATLUS SHIP, HOLDING CELLS – DAY

_MORDECAI is pacing in front of the force field._

_A low deep noise emanating from the field suddenly draws his attention._

_The field shines a slightly brighter orange for half a second before disappearing completely._

_At the back of the cell LILITH and BRICK both notice._

_Lilith wastes no time and makes a dash for freedom. Curiously Mordecai doesn't move._

MORDECAI

Where are you going?

_Lilith's not entirely sure how to respond. It seems like a stupid question to ask given the circumstances._

LILITH

I'm getting out of here.

MORDECAI

I'm not sure that's the best idea.

LILITH

You're joking, right?

MORDECAI

No, I think we should take things very slowly and wait here until we know the full extent of Roland's plan.

LILITH

I don't believe this. You don't even know that this is Roland.

MORDECAI

Well what's your theory for all this then?

_Mordecai turns to Brick for support._

MORDECAI

Brick, back me up here.

BRICK

She's gone.

_Brick looks past Mordecai._

_Mordecai turns around and finds that Lilith has indeed bolted despite his only looking away for a brief moment._

_Letting out a soft growl runs out of the cell into the thin corridor._

_Looking both ways he spots Lilith already a reasonable way down the corridor._

_Lilith reaches the end of the corridor and runs into…_

20. INT. ATLUS SHIP, HOLDING CELL CONTROL – DAY

_A wide room with two half-circle desks in the middle, not quite pulled together so they form a broken circle. The prison controls are on these desks shielded by a metal barrier, which follows the outside edge of both desks. There is a large square door leading out of the holding area and two cell passages, both 120 degrees from one another._

_LILITH emerges from one of these passages and comes to a sudden stop as she see's three ARMED GUARDS along one of the walls of the room to her right and two TECHNICIAN'S stood in the middle of the broken circle._

_The guards all raise their guns. Two just hold pistol's however the third has a rifle, which he holds by his chest for the moment, even though it has a round sight mounted on it._

_Lilith looks at the guards for a moment before turning her attention to the technicians._

TECHNICIAN

What are you doing out of your cell?

LILITH

I want these off of me… Now.

_She holds up her arms to show the glowing cuffs._

_One of the technician's chuckles and slowly makes his way towards Lilith, gloating as he does so._

TECHNICIAN

Ah, how about "No." I'm not removing the only thing keeping your powers under control. As long as these are attached to your wrists, you can't do anything.

_The technician is stood right in front of Lilith. He gives her a snide smile. Tilting her head slightly to one side she smiles back._

_Suddenly, Lilith strikes up with her knee and cops the technician in the groin._

_Seeing the sudden movement, the guards, who had let their guns slowly drop throughout the previous dialogue, suddenly train them on Lilith again._

_The technician meanwhile has gone bright pink in the face. Already hunched over with both hands grasping what's left of his manhood, he allows his legs to buckle and drops to the floor._

LILITH

Not quite true.

_Suddenly a loud metallic sound is heard from the corridor Lilith emerged from causing the three guards and remaining technician to turn in that direction._

_A metal pipe comes flying from the corridor, just missing the guards._

_The two pistol wielding guards step into the corridor, guns raised to see who, or what sent the object._

_Before they even have a chance to raise their guns they are both scooped up by BRICK, running at full speed. He continues a few more paces before throwing them both to the ground._

_The third guard is caught of guard and watches for a beat. Suddenly springing into action he raises his rifle to his eye and lines up his shot._

_Before the guard has a chance to fire though, a soft thump is heard as something hits his armour from behind._

_Slowly, the guard looks away from Brick and towards his attacker._

_MORDECAI stands a few paces away from the guard. He's waving his right hand in pain and cursing at the fail of a punch._

_Noticing the guard looking at him, Mordecai relaxes his now sore hand and looks back at the guard._

_Deciding that Brick can wait, the guard swings the rifle around and immediately raises it to his face to shoot Mordecai._

_Mordecai however steps forwards as he does so and grabs the muzzle of the rifle._

_Briefly pulling it forwards, Mordecai uses his limited strength to then force it back, straight into the guards face. The guard recoils from this and stumbles back a few paces._

_Seeing an opportunity, Mordecai dives._

_Meanwhile, on the other side of the room, Lilith has cornered the second technician, who is clearly terrified of her, especially while the guards are occupied. He doesn't have a gun of his own._

_Taking a chance he attempts to flee towards the door, however he only makes it a few feet before Lilith jumps forwards and throws her arms over his head, all but jumping on his back and sending them both tumbling to the ground._

_Hitting on their side, the technician tries to push himself but simply ends up on his back on top of Lilith, who pushes down on his throat with her elbow._

LILITH

Now, undo these cuffs… and maybe these guys will go easy on you.

_She indicates towards the fight on the other side of the room, however as she does, one of Brick's guards goes flying through the air screaming, almost directly above them and smashes into the wall, slumping to the floor unconscious._

_The technician's eyes widen in fear._

TECHNICIAN

How do I know you won't hurt me once you're free?

LILITH

If you don't do it, I'll hurt you now.

TECHNICIAN

OK… OK.

_He reaches into his pocket and pulls out a small rectangular device with a small screen and number pad on it. Reaching up his holds the device against the glowing cuffs._

21. INT. ATLUS SHIP, BRIDGE – DAY

_JACK is circling around the far side of the room to ROLAND. He's made it most of the way around and eventually stops, putting himself between Roland and the door leading to the rest of the ship. Roland meanwhile, is now stood almost in the middle of the room._

JACK

Roland, you are starting to test my patience. Now get to the point, or I'm going to bring this conversation to an end.

_He readjusts his aim to reinforce his point._

ROLAND

Fine. I came here, to talk about this ship.

_Jack's eye's narrow in confusion. This wasn't the direction he expected the conversation to go._

ROLAND

In particular, I want to know about the defence system's. Obviously the exterior sensor's need work, otherwise I wouldn't have made it this far.

JACK

And why in Jesus name do you want to know this.

ROLAND

I'm just preparing for when I take it back.

JACK

Really?

ROLAND

That reminds me: the automatic turret in this room; where does that drop down again?

JACK

Behind you.

_Jack indicates to a small panel on the roof a number of feet behind Roland. Roland turns around and looks at the panel._

ROLAND

Good.

_This worries Jack and he responds by pulling the hammer back on his pistol. Roland turns back around to face him._

_The screen cuts to the computer from before, still spitting out various lines of code as the device alters aspects of the system._

_Suddenly everything on the screen stops and a single line is highlighted in deep red._

_On the roof, the panel slides open and a medium sized gun lowers itself into the roof. The gun almost resembles a small Gatling gun with five or six barrels on the front which rotate._

_Cut to a POV of the targeting computer on the gun. The gun quickly finds Roland however, what's not immediately clear is that Roland has lined himself almost perfectly with Jack._

_The barrels start to spin as the gun warms up._

_Jack initially smiles when the gun comes down, however seeing it warm up while the barrel is pointed almost directly at him makes him reassess his positioning._

_Jack strafes to his left a few steps, however Roland moves with him, so as the ceiling gun follows Roland, it also remains pointed at Jack._

_The whine of the spinning barrel indicates that the gun is warm and about to spray bullets._

_At the same moment that bullets begin to fly from the gun, Jack jumps to his right, aiming to put one of the desks in the middle between himself and the gun._

_Roland however jumps in the opposite directing, towards where his pack is lying on the floor near one of the consoles._

_Rolling out of the dive, Roland reaches into the pack and whips out what looks like a small pistol._

_He points it towards the ceiling gun and pulls the trigger._

_From the end of the gun, what looks like a small bolt of lightning shoots out and hits the ceiling gun, shorting it out for the moment._

22. INT. ATLUS SHIP, HOLDING CELL CONTROL – DAY

_The screen on the TECHNICIAN'S device flashes once and the glowing cuffs virtually fall off of Lilith._

_Spreading her arms wide, Lilith creates a dull glow with her powers which surrounds both of her hands._

_The Technician meanwhile rolls off of her and scampers down the nearest cell corridor._

_On the other side of the room MORDECAI lays a few more punches into his guard's face despite the man already lying very still._

_His actions are interrupted though when a ceiling turret bursts down from the roof in one of the corners of the room._

_This is followed by a second in the opposite corner and then a third and forth._

_From their position's in the room, LILITH and BRICK both look up and the barrel's slowly begin to spin and warm up._

MORDECAI

Now I don't want to say I told you so…

_He doesn't get any further as bullets begin to rip into the floor directly in front of him._

23. INT. ATLUS SHIP, PASSAGE TO BRIDGE – DAY

_The doors to the bridge have been opened but are quickly closing._

_Roland dives through the small gap remaining and immediately rolls over and throws himself up off of the floor into a standing position._

_Racing over to a small panel next to the door, he shoves his gun right up against the electronics and pulls the trigger._

_The electric arc consumes the panel but also bounces back onto the gun, which glows hot, causing Roland to let go before shattering._

_A thump is heard from the other side of the door as Jack throws himself into it._

24. INT. ATLUS SHIP, HOLDING CELL CONTROL – DAY

_All three prisoners have managed to duck into the broken circle in the middle of the room. Bullets pound on the metal casing but none are making it through. There are however, quite clearly trapped._

MORDECAI

Damn. The door out of here is just over there. If we can find a way to distract the defences…

LILITH

Screw the distracting.

_LILITH closes her eyes and suddenly disappears._

_MORDECAI stares at the spot where she previously lay._

_A thump is heard from the cell door where Lilith has just attempted to open it._

_Cursing loudly, the following sound effects suggest that she dives back into the middle of the circle, although she doesn't reappear._

MORDECAI

Well that's great. If we'd have all just stayed in the cell like I said we should.

LILITH

OK, fine. You were right. Lets do this your way.

MORDECAI

That would have been really nice if you'd come to that conclusion ten minutes ago.

_Mordecai is about to go on, however a loud noise is suddenly heard coming from the direction of the door, drowning out the sound of the gunfire._

_For a moment nothing happens._

_Then the door slides open to reveal ROLAND. Somewhere between the bridge and here he's acquired a machine gun._

_He aims it at one of the ceiling turrets and lets off a few rounds. The now distorted turret dies as something important in it's circuitry is destroyed._

_Roland turns his attention to the remaining three turrets and quickly eliminates all of then. The last one goes with a nice little explosion._

_There's a moment of silence as Mordecai and BRICK slowly stand up from inside the circular control area. Roland eventually breaks the silence._

ROLAND

Why aren't you in your cell?

_Mordecai stands stunned a moment longer._

MORDECAI

Well… we… just thought… … … Anyway… What took you so long? Where have you been over the last three weeks?

ROLAND

Man, you have no idea how long it takes to source the proper equipment for a rescue like this. Or how much.

MORDECAI

Yeah, right. Well, we can discuss finance after I've had a bath. Where to from here?

ROLAND

Follow me.

_Roland hops backwards, preparing to turn and start running once he's sure both Mordecai and Brick are following. Before he gets a chance though, a voice rings out seemingly from nowhere._

LILITH

Wait up!

_Roland stops and looks into the room._

_A bright flash lights up the room and Lilith reappears. Roland quickly eyes her up and down. He turns to Mordecai._

ROLAND

Who's this?

LILITH

My names Lilith.

_Lilith decides to answer for herself walking towards Roland and stealing his attention back from Mordecai. Mordecai however lean's in and adds to the introduction._

MORDECAI

She's a siren. So lower that gun soldier.

_Mordecai indicates with his eyes towards Roland's crotch as he say's "gun" clueing him in on the gag. Roland shoots Mordecai a brief dirty look before going back to Lilith._

ROLAND

It is an absolute pleasure to meet you, Lilith.

_He extends a hand and Lilith shakes it, a relieved smile crossing her face._

ROLAND

And I wish you all the best for _your_ escape attempt.

_Lilith's face drops._

LILITH

No, wait!

_She turns to Mordecai, silently asking him to step in. Mordecai however shrugs indicating that there's nothing he can do. Or he won't if he could._

ROLAND

Hopefully, we'll meet up again someday.

_With that he turns and starts to jog down the corridor, out and away form the holding cell area._

LILITH

Wait. I'm coming with you!

ROLAND

No you're not.

_He doesn't even turn around for the line and a moment later he, Mordecai and Brick have all disappeared around the corner, leaving Lilith stood on her own in the holding cell control room._


	4. Welcome to Pandora

_Sorry about the wait. It took a while for me to find a dynamic for the following action scenes which I really liked. This chapter for me, sums up what I believe the designers originally pitched as the tone of the game. That is; insane, over the top, exciting, ridiculous action sequences punctuated by quick-fire gags. I've been trying to bring a bit of a "The A Team" feel to the story and characters as well. Hopefully it all translates into a really fun read. I know it was a real blast to write._

* * *

25. INT. ATLUS SHIP, CORRIDOR – DAY

_ROLAND, MORDECAI and BRICK tear along the plain uninteresting corridor. Roland is in the lead with the other two quite close behind._

MORDECAI

So what is the plan?

ROLAND

Well hopefully, my little distraction is still keeping a decent portion of the soldiers on this ship busy. And on the other side to where we're going?

MORDECAI

And where _is_ that? How did you get on here?

_Roland doesn't have a chance to answer as the group come to a large room._

26. INT. ATLUS SHIP, COMMON AREA - DAY

_Coming to a quick stop, ROLAND quickly scans his eyes over the area. There are plenty of civilians, but he doesn't spot any soldiers._

_Deciding its clear he walks out, much to the surprise of MORDECAI and BRICK_

_Keeping their pace relatively slow, they follow him trying to act as casual as possible. It's not long before they reach a corridor on the other side of the room and disappear down it._

_No sooner have they done so, JACK appears from an adjacent corridor accompanied by two SOLDIERS._

JACK

What the hell do you mean, you lost them?

SOLDIER 1

Whatever he did to our systems; all surveillance on this ship is down. I've got people working on it but it could be at least ten minutes before they're back up.

JACK

We may not have ten minutes. I want every squad you have spread out and searching this ship until you find them.

_The soldier nods and quickly turns, heading back the way he came. Jack continues forwards, entering the corridor our hero's initially came from._

27. INT. ATLUS SHIP, FIGHTER POD BAY – DAY

_ROLAND and company round a corner in the corridor, bringing the fighter pod bay into view. The thick doors to the bay have been opened._

_Noticing a large regiment of soldiers, Roland skids to a stop and backs up, around the corner. MODECAI and BRICK also dart back out of sight._

_Roland hugs his back to the wall, right on the corner. The other two give him worried looks, concerned that this wasn't quite part of the plan. Roland notices this and admits…_

ROLAND

There's a few more in there than I was expecting.

MORDECAI

How many were you expecting?

ROLAND

Two… maybe three.

_Mordecai leans to his right and peers around the corner to see the soldiers. There are clearly over a dozen at least. Mordecai quickly snaps back behind the corner._

MORDECAI

Great. Now what?

ROLAND

Well thankfully I raided one of the armouries on my way to pick you up and managed to acquire one of these.

_He reaches into one of his pockets and pulls out what appears to be a small flat circular piece of metal_.

ROLAND

There should be some steel cargo containers just to the left of the door. I'll throw this right and use it as a distraction. Once I'm behind the containers, I'll draw their attention allowing you two to flank them from here, and do what you do best.

_Pulling more stuff out of his pocket, he hands Brick a grenade and Mordecai a small pistol. Mordecai turns the pistol over in his hands looking at it with slight annoyance._

MORDECAI

You couldn't find a single sniper rifle on this ship?

BRICK

No RPG?

_Roland stares at them both for a moment, not quite believing that he's hearing these complaints. Noticing this, Mordecai quickly changes the subject. He indicates to the small circular piece of metal in Roland's hand._

MORDECAI

How long will that give you?

ROLAND

About three seconds.

_Mordecai rolls his eyes as he looks back up at Roland._

MORDECAI

Your scavenging skills could use some work.

ROLAND

Yeah, whatever. Lets go.

_Keeping low, the trio pick their moment and enter the short corridor leading into the fighter pod bay. Brick and Mordecai hang back as Roland, staying close to the wall, approaches the large bay doors._

_Keeping behind the small lip created by the doors he palms both sides of the metal object and twists his hands in opposite directions, as though unscrewing the two halves._

_Leaning forwards slightly he frisbees the device low across the ground. It makes it about eight meters and slides another two._

_Inside the room a small group of the soldiers notices the device skimming the ground and immediately raise their weapons, initially pointing them at the device itself, however as it comes to a stop they trace it's path of origin back towards the bay doors._

_Taking a step towards the doors they are suddenly distracted by a mechanical noise behind them._

_Turning back to the small metal object they are taken by surprise as it starts to fold out, quickly doubling in size, then tripling._

_The base quickly expands to it's full size and the device starts to build upwards. Within a few seconds it's completed and has unfolded into a gun turret. By this stage it's caught the attention of every soldier in the room._

_Starting pointed upwards, the turret suddenly lowers and locks onto the nearest soldier. The barrel starts to spin quickly warming up._

_Three of the soldiers move to the front, hold out their arms and push down on a device attached to their wrists._

_At the exact second that the turret starts firing, energy shields materialize in front of the three soldiers protecting them and everyone behind them._

_The gunfire lasts three seconds before the bullets suddenly stop and the barrel's spinning slows._

_The soldiers stand motionless for a moment, not sure whether or not to expect a second burst._

_Suddenly machine gun fire rings out from behind them, taking out two soldiers._

_Swinging around, every soldier with a clear shot fires towards the stack of large cargo crates which is now acting as cover for Roland._

_Eye's widening, Roland swings back behind the crates, gluing his back to the metallic surface as the ringing of bullets hitting the other side accompanied by an exciting, boisterous, orchestral soundtrack is almost deafening._

_Pushing his gun around the crate he blind fires, taking out one more soldier, although by this stage the three larger soldiers have relocated to the front of the pack and are reactivating their shields._

_Staying low and moving across to his left he transitions from the large cargo crate to another one about chest height pushed up against it._

_Standing up he picks his shot: a small gap between two of the shields. He only gets off a small burst before the two soldiers realize his aim and push their shields together._

_The rest of the soldiers follow him to his new location constantly firing and he drops back down as bullets fly over his cover and pelt against the back wall._

_He risk another quick burst, reaching up and blind firing above the cover, but it's to no effect as the energy shields shrug off the bullets._

_Stood just behind the middle shield one of the soldiers turns around and signals to some of the soldiers immediately in front of him to head in opposite directions around the crates to flank Roland._

_Before he manages to finish, a small object suddenly flies through the air and hits him in the face. Catching the object in his hand, he holds up the release pin for a grenade._

_Confused he looks over to where it came from and notices Brick stood in the bay doors holding the grenade. As he's seen, Brick pelts the grenade towards the group. Having been cooked, the grenade explodes right in the middle of the group before its even hits the ground._

_At the same moment the explosion rocks the room, Mordecai pops out from behind the bay doors with his pistol. Carefully lining up three shots he fires into the group._

_Hit from behind, the three shielded soldiers fall to the ground one after another._

_Realising that they're being flanked and having lost their current protection, the remaining dozen soldiers scatter, diving for any piece of protective cover they can find._

_As this happens, Mordecai lines up two more shots, the first one misses, but the mistake is rectified as the second pistol bullet lodges itself into the temple of one of the closer soldiers._

_Roland also takes this opportunity to pop up from his cover and fire a number of short bursts from his rifle. A small group of three soldiers, darting for cover on the other side of the room all drop to the floor._

_Quickly shifting over to his right to get a better shot at another pair, Roland is suddenly forced back down as a number of bullets bounce off of his cover._

_A loud roar follows Brick as he tears into the room, flexing his shoulders. He picks a nearby target and lowers his head, charging like an angry bull towards the poor soldier._

_Mordecai takes a very quick moment as he is distracted by Brick's entrance. As the massive man charges, Mordecai notices two soldiers on the other side of the room lining Brick up._

_Raising his pistol he fires and one of them drops. He goes to line up the second but is caught by surprise when a burst of bullets from another of the soldiers whistles past his ears. Mordecai jumps back behind the bay doors and plants his back against the wall._

_Meanwhile, Brick reaches his soldier, scooping him up and slamming him against the wall. As the soldier drops, Brick turns to another stood quite close. The soldier points his gun at Brick, however Brick simply swats the rifle to one side and grabs the soldier at the nape of the neck._

_Moments later, two more soldiers stood a few meters away are bowled over as the soldier Brick tossed comes flying through the air. They fall back into a large stack of small metallic boxes, which crumble on top of them as they hit the ground._

_Behind the large crates, Roland has moved right over to the far edge. Just as he gets ready to lean out to take another burst, a soldier tears around the crates hoping to flank Roland. The soldier clearly isn't expecting to find himself within inches of the man however, and his brief moment of shock is all it takes for Roland to fire a single round into the soldiers heart. The soldiers stands stunned for a second before dropping to the ground._

_Mordecai lets loose a few more pistol bullets and the gun clicks empty. Throwing the gun into the room, at nothing in particular, he once more darts back behind the bay doors._

_Brick meanwhile hurtles towards two soldiers who where focussed on Mordecai._

_Hearing the gunfire suddenly stop followed by a loud thump and a crash, Roland peers around the corner to see if the room really is clear._

_Not entirely satisfied he does a one-eighty and suddenly finds himself staring down the barrel of a soldier who managed to sneak up behind him._

_A loud gun-shot goes off causing Roland to flinch. Nothing moves. A tad confused that he's not yet dead Roland looks closely at the soldier still holding the gun to his head._

_The soldier drops to the ground._

_Looking beyond where the soldier was, Roland tries to find the source of the gunshot. There's nothing there. He turns around to see if it came from behind him, but there's no one in sight._

_Looking back in the direction of the dead soldier Roland is a tad confused._

_His confusion is cured however when there is a bright flash just off to his left and LILITH materialises holding a gun scavenged off of one of the dead soldiers. She lowers the gun and throws him a dirty look._

LILITH

You know, for a moment there, I actually considered letting him pull the trigger.

ROLAND

… … much obliged.

_With that he turns walks out into the main area of the cargo bay. Mordecai and Brick also come in and meet him in the middle._

MORDECAI

Well that's all of them. Now wha…

_He stops as he noticed Lilith emerging from behind the crates._

MORDECAI

Hello?

LILITH

Hello, yourself. Thanks for the support back there.

MORDECAI

Hey! It wasn't my call.

LILITH

What, so now you pander to his (points to Roland) every whim?

MORDECAI

No, of course not. But I…

BRICK

GUYS!

_Everyone turns towards Brick who is squatting next to the soldier he initially threw the grenade pin at. A radio on the soldiers chest is buzzing._

RADIO

Echo team. Come in. I repeat; Echo Team. Please respond.

_Brick stands up as Roland switches his gaze from the radio to Mordecai._

ROLAND

Time to go.

_He jogs towards the far end of the room where a number of fighter's sit. At first glance they almost resemble jets, although the wingspan is reasonably short. There are two seats placed one behind the other at the front, and at the back is a glass dome with a gun turret._

_In front of each fighter is a hole in the wall, shaped almost millimetre perfectly to the fighters, which leads into launching tubes. Behind each fighter is a thick concrete slab to stop the flames from the thrusters from shooting into the room and possibly burning people. The fighters are sat on rails which lead up to the launching tubes._

_Roland reaches the fighters with Mordecai, Brick and Lilith tailing him. He picks the nearest one and stands besides it._

ROLAND

Right, Mordecai, your on guns. Brick, you get to ride shotgun.

_Mordecai and Brick nod in response and begin to climb into the fighter. Roland turns ready to climb in himself but is interrupted._

LILITH

And what about me?

_Cursing in annoyance under his breath, Roland turns back to Lilith._

ROLAND

There's only room for three. You'll have to take another.

LILITH

I don't know how to fly one of these.

ROLAND

Well find another way off then. You've already shown you can handle yourself.

LILITH

Yeah! By saving your life… … you owe me.

_Yup, she went there. Roland pauses, fighting an internal battle with himself. Screwing up his face in frustration he turns back to the fighter._

ROLAND

Brick, you're on guns. Mordecai; you're flying your girlfriend out of here.

MODECAI

What? But I…

ROLAND

There isn't time for this Mordecai. Get out of there.

_Mordecai reluctantly climbs out as Roland continues to talk._

ROLAND

Once we're outside, you want to meet up with me on the far side of the planet. From there, I've arranged for Falcon to pick us up two planets over on the bedtime side of Athena.

MORDECAI

Yeah, that's great, but…

ROLAND

And keep an eye on the ships defences. I don't think it'll fire on it's own pods, but there's no way to be certain about that.

MORDECAI

I will, but…

ROLAND

Good luck. I'll see you soon.

_With that, Roland jumps into his fighter and almost in the same movement pulls down the top, glass section of the nose, locking himself and Brick in the small pod._

_Hitting one of the buttons, a jet of flame bursts out of the thrusters, bouncing off of the concrete wall and propelling the fighter forwards. Within seconds its gone._

_Mordecai looks across at Lilith, his eyes hard enough to burn a hole through metal. He doesn't get to glare at her for long though as the sound of footsteps emanates from beyond the fighter bay doors._

_Lilith makes a dash for the next nearest fighter._

LILITH

Come on.

_Mordecai starts towards the fighter, but after only a few steps a large regiment of soldiers appear from the bay doors. The soldier leading them almost instantly points towards Mordecai._

ATLUS SOLDIER

It's him!

_Guns are raised and gun-fire hits the back of the concrete slab just as Mordecai is able to dive behind it._

_As bullets continuously bounce off of the slab, Mordecai pulls himself into the front of the fighter. Lilith has already placed herself in the gunner's seat._

_Mordecai looks at the various knobs, buttons, graphs and dial's in front of him and confusion crosses his face. Running his finger over all of them he desperately tries to find one marked 'Go.'_

_Instinctively ducking her head as bullets fly around all sides of the concrete slab, Lilith notices that nothing is happening and turns back to Mordecai. She has to shout to be heard over the sound of constant gunfire._

LILITH

Well! Are we going?

MORDECAI

Yeah, in a minute. It can't be that hard to work this out.

LILITH

WHAT! I thought you were able to fly this thing!

MORDECAI

I never said I could!

LILITH

YOU NEVER SAID YOU COULDN'T!

_On all sides of the room, the sound of gun-fire is mixed in with a new sound of numerous fighters being launched by Atlus soldiers. Mordecai looks over to his right to see one of the fighters manned by three soldiers disappear down into the launch tube._

LILITH

Right! Swap over!

MORDECAI

What?

LILITH

You go on the gun.

_Mordecai jumps up onto the wing as Lilith slides into the pilot seat._

MORDECAI

I didn't think you could fly one of these either.

LILITH

I'm a faster learner than you.

_Trying to ignore the deafening sounds around her, Lilith pools all of her concentration._

_The camera cuts to an extreme close-up as she closes her eyes._

28. EXT. SPACE, ABOVE PANDORA – DAY

_This shot mirrors the one of Lilith, as Roland opens his eyes._

_He looks around impatiently. The fighter is currently hovering in space a reasonable distance from the large Atlus ship although they are still much closer than would be comfortable. In the back, Brick has the turret pointed towards the ship but isn't really aiming at anything in particular._

ROLAND

What the hell is taking them so long?

_Brick gives an unseen shrug._

_Roland continues to scan the side of the Atlus ship._

_Finally a jet of steam from a small hole in the ship announces an airlock being opened. Sure enough, moment later a fighter emerges from the ship and makes a beeline towards Roland._

ROLAND

About time.

_Suddenly his attention is altered as jets of steam begin to shoot out of over a dozen different launch tubes._

_Within moments, a mass of fighters emerges from the Atlus ship behind the first. Roland's eyes widen in surprise but he concentrates on the first fighter to emerge._

_Sure enough, it's quickly discovered that Mordecai does not pilot the fighter when a burst of bullets come flying out of the pod, followed by a barrage from the ships behind it._

_Roland is instantly on the case and jerks his controls, causing the fighter to twist and dive, avoiding the bullets._

29. INT. ATLUS SHIP, FIGHTER POD BAY – DAY

_By the sounds of it, the soldiers left in the bay have been joined by back-up as twice as many bullets seem to be pelting the back of the concrete slab, with just as many flying around it and hitting the wall, missing the fighter by inches._

_Inside the fighter Lilith looks up excitedly._

LILITH

I've got it. It's this one.

_She pushes one of the buttons and the fighter instantly roars to life. Mordecai instantly notices a problem._

MORDECAI

Oi! Wait on!

_He leans forwards out of his seat and grabs the glass, top section of the nose, which is still open and pulls it down, locking it in place at almost the exact same time the fighter enters the launch tube._

30. INT. ATLUS SHIP, LAUNCH TUBE – DAY

_Light's race past on all sides of the fighter as it is propelled through the almost claustrophobic tube. After a second they are flung through a jet of steam. Their view disappears for a moment before they suddenly emerge…_

31. EXT. SPACE, ABOVE PANDORA – DAY

_… right in the middle of a space battle. Bullets start flying their way almost instantly._

_Mordecai is a little confused at first. This isn't a case of everyone chasing one ship. It's a free for all. There are small groups of fighters working together but the main problem facing the Atlus soldiers is that there is nothing to distinguish Roland's fighter from their allies and so they are simply firing at anything which looks like it's about to fire back._

_Lilith turns their fighter so that it's headed away from the battle._

_It only takes a moment for this to catch the attention of four other fighters who break away from the battle to chase after them._

_Inside the fighter, Mordecai pulls two handles with triggers towards himself and the gun turret springs to life._

32. EXT. SPACE, ABOVE PANDORA – DAY

_Roland meanwhile, is right in the thick of the battle. Dodging bullets and pieces of various destroyed fighters, he dips his fighter down and begins flying in formation with one of the Atlus soldiers._

_Reaching down he hits the comms._

ROLAND

I see him, down there: two o'clock.

_The fighter Roland has joined formation with turns towards the ship Roland was talking about and fires on it. The bullets from both Brick and the other fighter tear this pod apart._

_Roland immediately slows down his fighter and lets the other one pass. Nodding to Brick he pulls in just behind the fighter as a barrage of bullets fly from his turret, ripping the fighter to pieces._

_Roland smiles to himself, however this doesn't last long as his actions have attracted a group of nearby fighters who stop firing at one another to turn towards him._

33. EXT. SPACE, ABOVE PANDORE – DAY

_The three fighters chase down Mordecai and Lilith. At this point Lilith isn't providing much of a challenge and bullets begin to ping off of the side of the side. Mordecai fires back but is unable to hit the pods._

LILITH

You need to take them down faster. We're being hit.

MORDECAI

Have you considered evasive manoeuvres?

LILITH

What?

MORDECAI

DODGE!

_Finally getting the idea, Lilith violently twist's the control stick, causing the fighter to lurch to the side so quickly and effectively that the force causes Mordecai to fly against the side of the glass dome and knock his head with enough force to send a man unconscious._

34. EXT. SPACE, ABOVE PANDORA – DAY

_Roland flies through the thick of the battle, dodging around other fighters, both active and destroyed husks._

_The recently destroyed husk of a ship hurdles towards them, flames still spewing out from the fuel lines. Roland dips his fighter and slips underneath it as it goes careering into one of the other fighters causing a small explosion._

_Behind Roland, his four pursuers are being fired upon by Brick and returning their own share of the bullets. The very act of trying to avoid colliding with another fighter causes enough movement to make them difficult to hit._

_As they chase Roland, at least one of the fighters is taken out by another unseen fighter, causing the wreckage to spin wildly out of control._

_As Roland gets closer to the outer edge of the space battle the amount of ships they have to dodge starts to clear out, allowing Brick to get a clear shot at their pursuers._

_Firing off a round of bullets, Brick manages to hit one of the fighters, the bullets piecing through the glass cockpit and embedding themselves within the pilot and passenger._

35. EXT. SPACE, ABOVE PANDORA – DAY

_Mordecai is seeing double as he attempts futilely to line up one of the ships behind him. This isn't helped by the fact that Lilith is really overcompensating on the dodging. Swinging left and right, rolling the ship constantly and erratically, diving, barrel rolls, looping up and over. It's as though she's attempting to audition for a trick-flying circus._

_As a result, Mordecai's bullets are being flung out in every direction, very rarely heading even remotely in the direction of the three ships chasing them. The sight overall, is ridiculous._

_Shaking his head to try and clear it, and hopefully his vision, Mordecai attempts to point the gun turret in the general direction of the small group after them and squeezes the triggers on the handles he's holding._

_At exactly the same time, Lilith decides to roll the ship over and make a very sharp turn right, causing Mordecai's bullets to instead head off back in the direction of the main battle._

_A small number of bullets head into a collision course with one of the fighters on the outer edge being pursued by three more fighters._

36. EXT. SPACE, ABOVE PANDORA – DAY

_Roland is caught unawares as three of Mordecai's bullets slam into his fighter. Two hit the engine thrusters, causing a small explosion and the last one hits the wing, sending the fighter spinning out of control in the direction of the planet._

_Alarms start blaring inside the fighter as Roland fights with the controls desperately trying to stop, or at least slow down the fighter pod._

_Cursing loudly, he fiddles with some of the buttons in front of him, seeing if he can get anything useful to work._

_The fighter continues to get closer to the planet. Given that the Atlus ship was already very close to the planet, it doesn't take long for the fighter to reach Pandora._

_As it falls through the air a thin layer of flame begins to surround the ship, in particular the nose._

ROLAND

O-oh. I see atmosphere.

_Fiddling with the buttons again, he is suddenly relieved to hear the engines at the back splutter to live. They were only damaged, not destroyed._

_It takes a few more tries but finally a jet of flame bursts out from the back of the fighter and it's descent comes to an end as it changes direction and starts heading back into space._

37. EXT. SPACE, ABOVE PANDORA – DAY

_Mordecai's vision has almost fully recovered, but that doesn't mean its any easier to hit any of the other fighters with Lilith's constant erratic flying._

_Bullets continue to fly in every conceivable direction except at his target._

_Mordecai shouts to Lilith is annoyance._

MORDECAI

Do you mind holding steady for a moment!

LILITH

I though you wanted me to dodge. What do you want? Is it, steady or evasive?

MORDECAI

You couldn't do a bit of both?

38. EXT. SPACE, ABOVE PANDORA – DAY

_Roland quietly reassures the fighter that it is capable of working as they slowly transition from the planet's atmosphere back into space._

ROLAND

Come on, you can do it. Come on!

_The engines are starting to constantly splutter and threaten to stop working at any moment, however, for the moment they hold._

_The small pod moves higher and higher. Every inch feels like an achievement._

_Finally, the engines give in and die._

_A beat._

_The pod sits quietly in space._

_Suddenly a lone ship starts to fly in their direction. The ship doesn't actually fly directly towards them and actually seems to have a greater interest in the planet behind them, but it does start to come uncomfortably close._

_Roland watches the ship, curious to see whether it will ignore them or notice that the inhabitants are still alive._

_He hears a noise from the back of the fighter; the gun turret spinning._

ROLAND

Brick! Don't…

_It's too late. The gun turret releases a loud burst of fire in the direction of the stray ship._

_This very quickly grab's the ships attention, which turns directly towards Roland and Brick and starts firing it's own guns._

_Brick fires off another burst of rounds and this time manages to hit the pilot through the glass dome on top of the ship. The pilot falls to the side, knocking the ships controls and sending it flying straight into the planet._

_Roland tries to turn towards Brick but the confined space and the straps holding him to the seat don't really allow him to._

ROLAND

Right, you! Hands off the gun! Now!

_Brick lets go of the turret controls and sits back in his seat. As he does so a soft hissing can be heard coming from right next to him._

_Turning his head, Brick spots a small hole in the glass dome approximately bullet shaped. The air from the fighter is quickly escaping into space._

_Looking down it doesn't take him long to find the culprit and he holds up a lone bullet from the previously attacking ship._

_Thinking fast he tries to plug the hole with the bullet, but it's just sucked into space. At this point, Roland's ears pick up._

ROLAND

What's that noise?

_Brick quickly looks around for something else to plug the hole but finds nothing._

_In a desperate attempt to stop any more air from escaping, Brick holds up his own hand, selects a finger (his middle finger) and sticks it through the hole._

_The hissing immediately stops._

39. EXT. SPACE, ABOVE PANDORA – DAY

_Mordecai fires off a burst of his gun turret once again missing the ships pursuing them, mostly because of Lilith's erratic motions._

_The fighter is coming around to the rear of the large Atlus ship however they have found themselves in the thick of the main battle. Although there are now a lot less ships to dodge than there was before, the amount of debris floating in the area makes for a pretty challenging obstacle course._

_Despite this being her first time piloting a fighter, Lilith manages to employ her over-the-top flying skills to effectively weave in, out and through the wreckage. Pieces of destroyed ship come within inches of their fighter, but amazingly, nothing hits them._

_The four ships pursuing them fire at their fighter pod but the few bullet's that aren't stopped by bits of wreckage, fly wide of the mark._

_Dodging under a large chunk of ship, the fighter finds itself back out in the open. Looking back Mordecai notices that the four fighters chasing them have become three._

_He fires yet another burst and misses._

_The pod he was aiming for returns fire and manages to hit Mordecai's fighter._

_The bullets rip into the back of the fighter and one of the thrusters is completely detached from the rest of the pod._

_Lilith's movements are halved._

_Lining up a shot, Mordecai carefully aims his gun just in front of one of the approaching ships and fires._

_The shots hits the front of the enemy pod killing the pilot._

_The pod swings right and smashes into the fighter flying directly besides it. The pilot of the second pod loses control as both of his wings are torn off and the fighter spins out in the direction of the Atlus ship._

_Making a beeline straight for the massive ships, thrusters at the back, the small fighter somehow ends up inside the large, superheated engine._

_The explosion from the small ship manages to find, or create a hole leading to, some highly combustible substance within the first of five thrusters and a massive explosion rips the engine from the ship._

_The flames from the explosion find themselves within the fuel lines connecting the engines, causing a chain of explosions, which rips along the back of the Atlus ship, taking out each of the engines in turn._

_As Mordecai and Lilith watch, slack jawed in amazement, one final incredible, almost blinding explosion originating from the Atlus ships main fuel tank underneath, rips a large chunk from the back of the ship and creates enough force to push the ship forwards and to the side, in the direction of Pandora._

40. EXT. SPACE, ABOVE PANDORA – DAY

_More relevant to Roland is that the ship isn't just falling towards Pandora. It's also coming straight for his and Brick's pod, stranded just out of reach of the planet's gravitational pull._

_The monolithic ship ploughs through the area where the main battle was taking place, taking out dozen's of fighters in it's path. For such a large ship, it's moving at a decent rate._

_It continues to move in the direction of Brick and Roland. Pieces of debris as well as ship personnel are constantly flying out of the gaping hole at the back of the ship._

_Roland starts desperately playing with the controls in front of him again, desperately trying to find a way to move himself out of the Atlus ship's trajectory._

ROLAND

Come on! COME ON!

_The ship comes closer. The noise of the ship breaking apart is close to deafening._

_Still closer._

_It's almost on top of them._

_Allowing himself a worried cry, Roland watches in terror as the ship comes within feet of the pod. Explosion's still blasting out from various area's threaten to take out the small pod and at one point the fighter is engulfed by flames._

_Miraculously though, the fighter somehow squeezes just under the giant Atlus ship, which passes directly over them without making any real contact and falls towards the planet, it's speed quickly picking up as it gets caught in the planets gravitational pull._

_Breathing heavily, Roland looks forwards completely stunned._

_He gives himself a beat to allow the moment to wash over him, before letting out a relieved laugh._

_In the back, Brick is still paralysed from the experience._

_Roland lean's back, resting his head against the back of the seat._

ROLAND

Ah, shit. Haha. Ah…

_Suddenly his eye's go wide again and his voice drops._

ROLAND

SHIT!

_Directly in front of the fighter is a large piece of debris from the Atlus ship following a similar trajectory to the one that the rest of the ship took, with one minor difference…_

_Moving at a speed fast enough to be dangerous, the large piece of debris hits the front of Roland's fighter._

_Amazingly, it simply bounces off with a loud clang._

_Roland lets out a sigh of relief as the debris seems to shrink, moving away from the fighter._

_Suddenly his smiles disappears as he takes a closer look out of the front of his fighter._

_It's not just the piece of debris moving away from the pod; the entire scene seems to be becoming more and more distant._

_Attempting to turn around, the situation hits Roland. They're falling backwards… towards the planet._

41. EXT. SPACE, ABOVE PANDORA – DAY

_Mordecai's moment of celebration has come to an end. He a Lilith dart through the debris left by the Altlus ship as the final pod chasing them is joined by a newcomer._

_Lilith's movements have been slowed due to them losing an engine although it's still pretty erratic._

_Mordecai pulls the triggers and a line of bullets flies towards the nearest ship._

_It's a direct hit, blowing up the fuel tank and causing a small ball of flame which the second fighter simply flies right through as it chases them down._

42. EXT. PANDORA, HIGH ATMOSPHERE – DAY

_Roland screams in terror as the small pod, now engulfed in flames plummets backwards towards the planet of Pandaora._

_Behind him, Brick is also screaming, although for entirely different reasons._

_As the camera pans over, it is revealed that the flames surrounding the ship are melting the end of the finger Brick stuck through the hole in the dome. As chunks of flesh fly off, parts of the bone start showing through._

_After what must seem like forever, but is really only a few moments, the flames back off as the fighter enters the main atmosphere layers of the planet._

_Looking around, Roland desperately looks for anything he might be able to use to help their situation._

_He's suddenly knocked around in his seat as the fighter hits a small piece of debris from the earlier ship._

ROLAND

They never thought to include a parachute in these things?

_He yells to himself as he searches under and around his seat._

_Finally giving up he throws himself back in his seat, a surprisingly difficult task due to the direction they're falling._

_Hearing a strange noise he looks out to his right._

_The wings on the fighter are flapping violently as the small pod drops._

_In the back, Brick is eyeing off what's left of his finger through the glass dome. It almost seems to have melted and become one with the glass. His attention is quickly stolen by Roland._

ROLAND

BRICK! Hang on tight! I'm popping the lid!

_It takes Brick a moment, but suddenly he realizes what Roland intends to do. His eyes widen but it's to late._

_Pulling a lever to his left, the front, glass section of the fighter as well as the glass dome, detach themselves from the ship._

_Brick's hand is violently pulled up with the glass dome, however a meaty, ripping sound farewells his finger as it is torn from his hand and disappears with the glass dome._

_Brick yells in pain and holds up the bloody stump._

_At the front of the ship, Roland has pulled out his machine gun. Holding it with an iron-like grip he aims for a panel right at the front of the ship._

ROLAND

Please don't explode. Please don't explode.

_He fires a single round and the panel flies away from the fighter revealing a number of electronics, but more importantly a large red tank, clearly marked as dangerous and explosive._

_Figuring he has nothing to lose, Roland carefully takes aim at the tank. The fighter rocks around as it continues to fall and the first bullet flies wide of the mark, bouncing off of the side of the fighter._

_Aiming up again, Roland tries to breathe deeply. He stares at the target and pulls the trigger._

_It's a direct hit. The bullet pierces the tank. For a moment a liquid flies out of the tank, however moments later it catches alight and a large jet of flame blows out from the hole causing Roland to turn his face away from the heat._

_Although the ship is still pointed perpendicular to the ground, it is now falling at an angle, the jet of flame pushing it forwards._

ROLAND

Come on.

_Roland leans forwards, deliberately putting himself closer to the dangerous jet._

_He pushes against the control panel in front of him, as through hoping that it will provide that bit of extra push._

_The ship falls lower, the planet racing up to meet it._

_Very slowly, the ship starts to roll forwards. As the wind starts to catch the wings the air resistance causes the fighter to noticeably slow down._

_The jet of flame begins to die but it's already done its job. The fighter continues to roll forwards as more wind catches the underside of the wings._

_Roland allows a smile to cross his face as the fighter reaches forty five degree's and slows down further._

_Continuing to roll forward, Roland's heart skips a beat when he thinks it might go to far and leans backwards in response._

_Quickly scouring the landscape he spots what looks like a large flat area of desert just to their left. He shouts back to Brick._

ROLAND

Brick! I need you to lean left.

_Although still partially distracted by his finger, or lack thereof, Brick follows Roland's hand as he points towards the patch._

ROLAND

We'll try to set this down over there.

_Roland and Brick both transfer their weight to the left side of the fighter. As with the jet it's slow to respond, however after a moment it slowly starts to tip to the left._

_The difference in air resistance between the wings causes the pod to start turning._

ROLAND

Straight!

_Roland shouts back and he and Brick both lean to the right trying to straighten the pod up. The pod slowly rights itself but keeps going, starting to turn right._

_Yelling out, Roland and Brick lean left again, then right. It seems impossible for them to properly straighten out the pod and so keep adjusting. They start to become low enough to pass between some of the mountains rather than over them._

_Left, than right. The ground gets closer and closer. The pod is pointed almost parallel to the ground now with only a slight upward rotation._

_They rocket just over a mountain, it's peak only a few dozen feet below them. Another higher mountain goes past them on the right._

_Below them the ground opens out. The land is quite a bit more textured than it looked from where Roland first saw it, but it's still preferable to the mostly mountainous area's they've been passing through._

_The ground races up to meet them._

_Roland and Brick both lean back as far as they can, trying to force the nose of the pod back up to slow them further._

_Only a few hundred meters above the ground._

_Roland stares at the sky, his face scrunched as the impact approaches._

_The pod hits the ground._

_The violent jolt causes Brick's head to fly back against his seat with enough force to knock him out cold._

_The fighter pod slides across the ground, tearing up dirt and small plants._

_Roland cries out as large bump causes the pod to fly up in the air again before coming down with a large jolt._

_The bottom of the pod is literally being scrapped away by the landscape, pieces flying away in every possible direction._

_The pod slides further across the ground, fast approaching a cliff._

_Beyond the cliff is a sheer hundred meter drop._

_The pod is rapidly losing speed but the cliff still approaches far too quickly._

_As it starts to turn onto it's side from the long slide, the pod flies over the cliff and drops._

_Falling for a few seconds it hits the surface of a small lake nose first down below._

43. EXT. SPACE, ABOVE PANDORA – DAY

_Mordecai fires one final round of bullets._

_They find their mark and the last ship chasing them goes out in a gratifying ball of flame._

_Looking around Lilith stops rolling the fighter and brings it to a stop._

_The area around them is littered with debris, but there are no more moving ships. They are the sole survivors of the battle._

LILITH

I don't believe it. We're still alive.

_As though in response to this, the small fighter lets out one final groan before dying. The engines stop and only a few lights remain on. Lilith however, doesn't seem to care about this for the moment._

LILITH

We did it… We actually did it.

_There's no immediate response from Mordecai. Lilith gives it a moment, however her face suddenly drops. She rolls her eye's and adopts a slightly annoyed tone._

LILITH

Yeah, alright. I know what you're thinking. You might as well come out and say it.

_Sat behind her in the gun turret, Mordecai has turned green as he holds back an stream of motion sickness induced vomit and nurses a pounding head from when he smacked it on the glass dome._

_With the action over, the adrenalin which had held back the pain up till this point has disappeared leaving him in a sorry state._

_Looking up in anger he takes Lilith up on her offer._

MORDECAI

Bloody women drivers!


	5. Ain't No Rest

_Alrighty, into Act 2 and "Yay", exposition time. There's a lot of info crammed into this small chapter but almost all of it leads to some kind of pay off. About half of it remains true to the mythos presented in the game, the other half I created for various reasons which will present themselves further into the piece. As always, I hope you enjoy._

* * *

44. EXT. PANDORA, DESERT – DAY

_Desert, sand and rock; that's all that can be seen on screen, stretching out almost endlessly._

_After a beat, four legs wander into screen belonging to one of the local creatures that roam this landscape._

_Lowering it's head into frame, the SKAG slowly makes its way forwards, moving to the left of frame. The camera begins to dolly left to keep the creature in frame._

_As the camera moves, BRICK is revealed starting with his feet, lying on his stomach having been tossed from the fighter pod as it hit the surface of the lake. A small pool of blood has formed by his hand._

_Attracted to the blood, the skag moves over to it and starts sniffing at the fresh bodily liquid. As it does so, a new skag walks in front, and the camera follows this one, still moving at a steady pace to the left._

_Lying on his back, unconscious, only a few paces from Brick is ROLAND._

_The second skag jumps up on Rolands chest and leans down to smell it's prey, face to face._

_Satisfied that Roland will make a good meal, the skag's face suddenly splits vertically down the middle as it opens it's mouth fully, revealing rows of sharp, deadly teeth._

_It lowers its head towards Roland, the mouth opening wider still._

_Suddenly a rifle shot rings out and the skag is thrown backwards off of Roland with a loud 'yelp'._

45. INT. PANDORA DESERT, MARCUS'S BUS – DAY

_Some time later ROLAND stirs and begins to come to._

_Slowly he takes in his environment. He's been laid out over the back seat of and old bus. Outside the windows desert landscape moves past, a number of high mountains texturing the skyline in the distance. Inside the bus, everything looks like it's falling apart or is about to. A large man bounces with the bumpy road in a patched leather seat in front of the wheel and the song 'No Rest for the Wicked' plays very softly through a number of speakers lining the roof of the bus._

_Holding his head for a moment, Roland swings his legs off of the seat before groggily standing up._

_He slowly begins to shuffle down to the front. A few rows down he passes BRICK who is still unconscious, propped up in a seat and leaning against a window._

_As he approaches the front of the bus, the driver acknowledges his presence, although he does so without turning or making any real effort to speak **to** Roland._

MARCUS

Welcome back to the living, friend. And perfect timing too. The sun is shining, the birds are growling; it is the perfect day for an opportunity.

_Still groggy and silently nursing a pounding head, Roland finally makes his way to the front of the bus. He looks over at MARCUS, his eyes resting for a moment on a small bobble head of the man on the dash._

ROLAND

Ugnnng. Where are we?

_Marcus turns in his seat to face Roland._

MARCUS

First visit to Pandora, hmmm?

_Roland looks down at Marcus but doesn't answer. After a beat, Marcus decides just to answer Roland's question._

MARCUS

This lovely vista you're looking at is part of the Arid Badlands. One of the few places not tarnished by Dahl's presence.

_This causes Roland to pick up._

ROLAND

Dahl? What are they doing here?

MARCUS

Were. They left a little over two years ago after combing this planet bare. Never said what they were looking for, but stories spread: A vault; Full of alien artefacts and technologies.

_Roland transitions his gaze from Marcus to the mountains, looming in the distance in front of the bus._

MARCUS

Well, I don't know how many people actually believed that, but Dahl needed miners, and Pandora had plenty of those who needed jobs. Here we were thinking that this visit would do wonders for our economy. Great joke that was.

_The bus hits a bump, which causes the bobble head doll to fall on its side. Marcus reaches forwards and grabs it, turning it in his hand as he continues his story._

MARCUS

The company decided to ignore us locals. You know who they brought in to do the work instead?

Prisoners.

If the jails couldn't hold them, they were brought here for slave labour. For eight years, until the scum outnumbered us five to one.

When Dahl finally decided they'd had enough of this planet; they left them here. Worse; they unlocked their chains and let them loose on us. It's been chaos around here ever since. And we've got no choice but to live by their rules and standards.

ROLAND

That can't be right. Surely the Pandoran government had something to say about that. Haven't they taken any action against Dahl?

MARCUS

I'm not a political man, but there is no way that Dahl managed to monopolise this planet the way they did without planting some of their own in the government. Probably used a decent amount of blackmail while they were at it.

_Marcus replaces the doll back on the dash and looks up at Roland._

MARCUS

Welcome to Pandora, friend. A planet run by criminals… And governed by idiots.

_Having heard enough, Roland backs up a few steps and parks himself on the front bus seat. Marcus drives in silence for a beat before turning slightly to talk to Roland._

MARCUS

So what brings you to Pandora? I noticed you took advantage of our low gravity to drop in.

ROLAND

Business. With Atlus. Right now though, the only place I'm interested in, is a port to get off of this planet.

MARCUS

Hmmm. I think before we make that stop, you and the beef stick in the back should have yourselves checked up by the local doctor. We'll be there soon.

_Accepting that right now, he's in Marcus's hands, Roland shrugs in acceptance and leans back in his seat, staring up at the roof of the bus as the song on the radio comes to an end._

46. EXT. SPACE, ABOVE PANDORA – DAY

_LILITH looks out into space. Apart from the planet looming in front of them and the occasional piece of wreckage floating past their pod, it really starts to feel empty and lonely._

_She tries to look around behind her towards MORDECAI._

LILITH

How's your head?

_In the back, Mordecai is certainly looking better than he was before, although he's still nursing his head in both his hands._

MORDECAI

I've had headaches before, but this is ridiculous.

_He looks up and raises his eyebrows, using the muscles to massage his forehead._

MORDECAI

I imagine it doesn't help having you poking around inside there.

LILITH

I'm not poking around.

MORDECAI

I'm thinking of a number between one and one hundred.

LILITH

Seventeen.

_Lilith doesn't even let Mordecai finish his sentence, however moments after calling the number out she realises the trap she just fell into and goes silent._

_Hearing this Mordecai looks slightly amused._

_After a few beats, Lilith picks up again._

LILITH

So, this, Roland… Is he always so anal?

MORDEAI

What, you're not just going to fish the info out of my head?

LILITH

It takes away the fun of actually hearing you tell me.

_Mordecai lets out a loud sigh before answering her question._

MORDECAI

Roland was a trained soldier, or so he tells me. So this means that he can't so much as make a cup of tea without a step-by-step plan outlining every minute of the process. The man's a genius, and more than capable of improvising, but he can get really grumpy if he's actually forced to.

LILITH

And you? Are you a soldier?

MORDECAI

No. I… was… a hunter. Back before the war.

_Lilith reacts silently to the mention of the war._

LILTH

How did you end up out here?

MORDECAI

I had nowhere else to go. The war took everything from me. My farm. My wife… … My daughter.

LILTH

I'm sorry.

MORDECAI

Anyway, my skills in hunting transferred easily into a new career and I registered as a Mercenary, and eventually, was hired by Roland. Promised me enough to rebuild my life once I'd fulfilled my contract.

LILITH

I… … I… never fought in the war. I was too young.

MORDECAI

I figured. That's why I haven't taken a gun to you yet.

LILITH

Look I… I can't apologise for what my people did. My mother did her best to hide me at the time before she died and all I wanted was for the fighting to stop so I could live a normal life. Or at least, something that roughly resembled normal, considering what I was. I didn't have a family. No-one to guide me as I learnt what I could do. As far as I know I'm one of only five Sirens left in the galaxy.

MORDECAI

Good.

_Although she doesn't make any indication to Mordecai, she's clearly hurt by the backhanded comment. She opens her mouth to rebut more than once but nothing comes out beyond single syllable noises. Finally she gives up and falls silent again._

_There's an awkward silence. Eventually Lilith once again decides to break it._

LILITH

So… what was your daughter like?

MORDECAI

She was a bright kid. Rebellious, but then what child isn't. I remember on quiet days, I'd pull the scope off of my rifle and give it to her, and we'd play I-spy.

_The camera cuts to outside of the fighter pod, sat motionless in space. Mordecai can be seen inside, talking but cannot be heard._

47. INT. FYRESTONE, DR ZED'S INFIRMARY – DAY

_BRICK lets out a low growl and his eyes slowly begin to open._

_He's lying on his back on an uncomfortable metal hospital gurney is what almost appears to be a shed. Various medical tools line the walls._

_Brick allows his head to roll to the right and he sees a figure standing over another gurney with a body on it. As Brick watches, the figure raises a small axe and brings it down into the body with a sickening crunch._

ROLAND (O.S)

Hey, big man.

_Brick rolls his head to the other side and see's Roland sat in a chair not too far away._

ROLAND

How's your hand feeling? Apparently you lost quite a bit of blood through your wound.

_Brick looks back over towards DR ZED who is now holding what appears to be a half full blood pack. As Brick watches, Zed pushes a plastic beaker into the body he's just opened and extracts it a moment later full of the man's blood. Very carefully he pours the blood into a small opening at the top of the blood pack._

_The Dr turns back towards Brick and Roland._

DR ZED

Yes. And the wound is also a hot spot for various infections and diseases.

_He pushes the blood pack onto a nail sticking out of the wall above Brick's gurney. A small about spills out and splatters on Brick's face._

_Zed turns away from Brick and heads towards a small bench on the far side of the room._

DR ZED

I'm going to have to wash the wound out with alcohol before I can seal it properly.

_He picks up two glasses. One is full with a clear liquid, the other is empty. Reaching under the table he pulls out an old looking bottle of Gin. Upturning the bottle, he half fills the second glass with the substance._

_He starts to make his way back to Brick._

DR ZED

I should warn you. This is going to hurt… a lot.

_He sets the first glass with the clear liquid down and raises Brick's injured hand, placing the stump into the liquid._

_Roland looks at Brick expectantly._

BRICK

It's not too bad.

_Dr Zed pulls the stump out of the clear liquid but keeps it within the glass._

DR ZED

That was water.

_With his other hand, the Dr. pours the Gin over Brick's stump, allowing it to flow into the water in the other glass._

48. EXT. FYRESTONE, OUTSIDE DR ZED'S INFIRMARY – DAY

_Brick's roar is loud enough to be heard for miles._

49. EXT. SPACE, ABOVE PANDORA – DAY

_A close up of an oxygen gauge informs us that MORDECAI and LILITH are in the red on remaining O2. They, however, have decided to pass the time with a game._

MORDECAI

Something beginning with… N

LILITH

Nebula.

_Mordecai looks part shocked and part annoyed at the quick answer._

MORDECAI

You're cheating again.

LILITH

I swear, I'm not.

MORDECAI

Oh come on. There's no way you got that in one.

LILITH

Fine, give me another. I promise I won't touch my powers.

MORDECAI

Fine. Something beginning with…

_He looks out the dome to his left and spots something out of the corner of his eye. Looking around just behind them his eyes widen and a small smile crosses his face._

MORDECAI

S

LILITH

Space.

MORDECAI

No.

LILITH

Stars?

MORDECAI

Nope

_Lilith pauses for a moment trying to find other S words._

LILITH

Siren?

_Mordecai decides he's played long enough._

MORDECAI

To your left.

_Lilith looks out to the left and finally sees what Mordecai spotted earlier. She lets out a smile of relief._

LILITH

Ship!

_Letting out a laugh she starts to wave her arms as the large ship slowly flies through space towards them._

_Mordecai gives her a funny look trying to determine how much good waving her arms will do them, but is more than happy to share her feelings of relief that they're going to be saved before the pod runs out of air._

_The ship gets closer and slows right down as it approaches their position. It alters its course slightly so that it flies in front of them, as opposed to into them._

_Suddenly Mordecai's face drops._

MORECAI

Whoah, whoah. Hang on.

_As the large ship turns, a logo is revealed painted on the side of the ship near the front._

_The logo marks the ship as one belonging to the Crimson Lance._

MORDECAI

Oh, hell!

_Next to the Crimson Lance logo is another logo, about half the size: The logo of the Atlus Corporation._

_As the ship comes to a stop to pick up the stray fighter, it puts itself between the pod and the sun, casting a dark shadow over Mordecai and Lilith._


	6. For the Wicked

_Please don't hate me for what I've done to some of the characters. It's not immediately obvious but one thing I wanted to achieve in this chapter and the last is to have recognizable beats from the way that the opening few missions in the game play out. So you have the bus ride, followed by a visit to Zed's and then the events in this chapter. It was important that this happen here as the next chapter starts to make a few diversions in order to fit the narrative into the different format. Anyway, as always, I really hope that you enjoy this chapter. Next chapter should be a really fun one with a few amusing twists._

* * *

50. INT. CRIMSON LANCE SHIP, PRISON BLOCK – DAY

_Unlike the more high tech cells seen in the Atlas ship, these cells sport the classic, metal bars appearance. Both large cells are currently empty._

_The large steel door on one of the cells is pulled open and MORDECAI is pushed in, followed closely by LILITH, who only just manages to keep her footing._

_With a loud clang, the door slams shut and the lock clicks into place._

_Letting out an audible sigh, Lilith looks down and raises her hands in front of her face. Her wrists are once more surrounded by the same glowing cuffs, which kept her from using her powers earlier._

LILITH

Great.

_She drops her arms back down and looks over towards Mordecai who's stood motionless, staring at the lock on the door in front of him. Normal, steel cuffs bind his hands behind his back._

LILITH

What are the chances that your friend will come and rescue us again?

_Mordecai turns away from the door to give Lilith a funny look._

MORDECAI

I think we can safely assume that we're on our own this time.

_He turns back around to face the front of the cell._

_Lilith rolls her eyes and starts pacing back and forth._

_After a few moments the hiss of the electric door leading to the cells causes her to stop dead._

_Two CRIMSON LANCE MERCENARIES step into the room and make their way to the cell holding Lilith and Mordecai._

_Pulling out a set of keys, the merc in the lead pushes them into the door and turns while the other trains his gun on Lilith._

_The first mercenary indicates to Mordecai_

MERCENARY 1

Hey, Skinny.

_Mordecai steps forwards and the mercenary swings the large door open just long enough to grab one of Mordecai's arms and pull him out of the cage, before slamming the door shut again._

_Lilith makes a move for the door but the second mercenary's gun stops her from moving too fast._

_With the door once more closed, the second mercenary grabs Mordecai's other arm and the two of them walk him out of the room._

51. INT. CRIMSON LANCE SHIP, EMPTY ROOM – DAY

_MORDECAI has been seated on a small chair with his wrists, still bound by cuffs, chained to the back of the chair._

_Another empty chair sits directly in front of him._

_Looking around quizzically, he waits for something to happen._

_It takes a few moments, but finally the only door into the room slides open and a pale, medium sized, bright white haired woman steps into the room._

_STEELE strides to the empty chair and sits on the edge, looking straight into Mordecai's eyes._

_For a moment, the two almost seem to be having a staring contest, but after a few beats, Steele stands up and begins to walk back out of the room._

_A little confused Mordecai watches her walk towards the door._

MORDECAI

Short interrogation?

_Steele stops, but does not look back._

STEELE

And yet… So revealing.

_A few more steps takes her out of the room and leaves Mordecai once more, alone._

52. EXT. FYRESTONE, OPEN AREA – DAY

_ROLAND walks across the dirt path towards an open shelter with what appear to be two vending machines and a bar. The artwork on the front of the vending machines depict a gun and a grenade respectively. The bar is currently empty._

_Approaching the bar, Roland takes a quick look around the small shed before turning to leave._

_As he starts back out a figure appears behind the bar._

MARCUS

Can I get you something?

_As he hears Marcus's voice, Roland spins back towards the bar, looking slightly amused._

ROLAND

And I thought you were a bus driver.

_Roland approaches the bar and Marcus allows himself a small chuckle._

MARCUS

I go where the money is. And right now, friend; you're where the money is.

_Marcus walks around to the front of the bar during Roland's next line._

ROLAND

I wish that were the case. Unfortunately, I have nothing on me right now.

MARCUS

Ah, not to worry, then.

_He starts to walk across the main area towards the large gate. Roland follows._

MARCUS

I was hoping that you could help me out with a small favour. I imagine between you and muscles over there, it should be a relatively easy task.

_Marcus indicates towards Brick who is nursing a freshly bandaged stump just outside of Dr Zed's._

_As Roland looks over, Brick stands up and begins to make his way over to the pair._

ROLAND

I'm afraid we can't. We need to find a way to get to the Port in Sanctuary as soon as possible.

_Marcus stops and turns to face Roland._

MARCUS

Oh? It is not every day that someone saves your life.

_He turns back and keeps walking. Roland stands motionless for a beat to mumble to himself._

ROLAND

It's been happening worryingly often lately. I think I'm loosing my touch.

_Jogging a few paces he catches back up with Marcus._

ROLAND

Look. I'll find a way to pay you back for what you've done, I promise. It just can't be done…

_Marcus doesn't let him finish, holding up a hand and indicting for him to be silent._

_Roland looks around confused. After a beat, a very faint buzz starts to be heard._

_Brick finally catches Roland and stands next to him._

_Marcus's face suddenly begins to show a hint of fear._

MARCUS

Get out of here. Now.

_With that he turns and races back to his shed with the bar. Not entirely sure what to make of this, Roland and Brick simply watch him disappear._

_The buzzing gets louder._

_Roland looks in the direction of the noise. They're stood near the base of a low cliff, which makes up one of the towns edges. The noise seems to coming from over the rise._

_Also hearing the noise, some of the other Fyrestone residents begin to flee back to their shelters._

_The buzzing noise can now be identified as an engine. It sounds a bit like a motorbike, but it's true source is not yet clear._

_A few beats pass. _

_Suddenly an Outrider Buggy comes flying over the low cliff, soaring directly over the top of Roland._

_As Roland ducks and rolls out from underneath the vehicle, it lands on the ground with a dull thud only a few meters from Roland and immediately skids off into the town._

_More Outriders come over the top of the cliff. There's at least a dozen of them total. They begin to tear around the town, the men in the back on the guns firing off random bursts in various directions. Some are directed at the fleeing citizens, but just as many are simply fired into the sky to make noise._

_It doesn't take long for a small group to spot Roland and Brick and they immediately pull a handbrake turn and head directly for the pair._

_Diving to his right to avoid the vehicle, Roland rolls out of it's way, however he doesn't quite regain him balance coming out of the moving and ends up on his hands and knees._

_The remaining Outriders begin to circle around Roland and Brick, preventing either of them from getting away._

_As Roland desperately tries to pick a gap, more join in on the circle._

_Suddenly almost all as one, they all come to a stop, turning in to face Roland and Brick, the turrets on the back all pointed at the pair._

_From one of the Outriders in front of Roland, a bandit hops down from the turret and pulls of the mask covering his face._

_As he slowly paces towards Roland and Brick he speaks with a French accent._

NINE-TOES

Well, well. It seems we have some new guests. I assume you were a part of the fireworks show we had earlier, oui?

_NINE-TOES stops directly in front of Roland who remains silent, sizing up the man as he turns his back and takes a few paces back towards his Outrider._

NINE-TOES

I hope you realize that we will be charging you rent for staying in our humble town.

_Nine-toes whips back around to face Roland, who finally decides to speak up._

ROLAND

I've run out of cash.

NINE-TOES

Well, then we will have to take something else of value to you.

_Nine-toes pulls out a small pistol causing Roland to take an instinctive step away from the man._

_This pistol has a small modification to it. What appears to be a small chainsaw-like blade has been attached underneath the barrel. It almost resembles a small version of the classic "Gears of War" guns._

_Pushing on a small trigger just underneath the main one Nine-toes revs the small blade. Suddenly the attachment, which at first looked cute but useless, starts to feel potentially quite dangerous._

NINE-TOES

Generally a toe… or a finger.

_Brick pulls his injured hand into his chest._

_Nine-toes strides back towards Roland, waving the spinning blade in his face. After a few beats he is suddenly stopped by a new voice_.

FLYNT

Nine-toes!

_Spinning on his heels, nine-toes watches as this new man jumps out of the drivers seat of one of the Outriders and begins to slowly make his way over to the trio._

_As FLYNT approaches Roland and Brick, Nine-toes slinks off to one side. Flynt ignores Brick for the moment and focus's on Roland._

FLYNT

I know your face. I saw it when we hacked into the Atlas servers.

_Roland has decided to once more fall silent, so Flynt continues._

FLYNT

So tell me then, soldier. What does your company know about the vault.

_Roland looks up at Flynt, trying not to show any emotion._

ROLAND

What vault?

_Flynt lets out a small chuckle._

FLYNT

Playing ignorant then… We know your company is searching for the vault on this planet. Not that they'll get far without the key; but we want to know what they've found.

ROLAND

I don't know about any vault.

FLYNT

… What is your business on this world then?

ROLAND

Getting off.

_This causes Flynt to chuckle once more as he turns and starts making his way back to his Outrider_.

FLYNT

Well soldier. That would be quite a feat, given that we rule the lands between here and the only port.

_He jumps back into the front of the Outrider and looks down at Roland._

FLYNT

If you do hear something you think I might like to hear: give a tingle.

_Flynt revs the engine and turns his bike towards the open gate. The remainder of the bandits follow him and speed away from the town. Roland glances at Brick briefly before turning back towards Marcus's shelter._

_They only have to go a few paces before the man rushes out to meet them._

MARCUS

Ah, it is good to see you were unharmed, friends.

ROLAND

Who was that?

MARCUS

Flynt. Or Baron Flynt, as he'll tell anyone who cares to listen.

ROLAND

Is it true what he said, about them barring access to Sanctuary.

_Marcus pauses for a moment, unsure of how Roland might react to his answer._

MARCUS

I am afraid so. There is no way anyone can make it there alive.

_Roland shakes his head part in disappointment and part in frustration at the news. Glancing quickly back at Brick, he turns back to Marcus._

ROLAND

OK. I want all the info that you have…

_He's suddenly interrupted by what sounds like a scream of pain. All three look in the direction it came from but see nothing except one of the shelters._

_Roland takes off and darts over to the shelter, peering around behind it._

_The screams have now turned to sobs. The voice sounds computerized._

_Lying on its back flailing its arms around as though in the worlds most dramatic death scene ever is CLAPTRAP. It's main body has two bullet holes in it, presumably caused by the bandits._

_As Roland slowly approaches the small robot continues to act over-dramatically._

CLAPTRAP

Oh God. I'm dying. I'm dying. I can't believe it would end like this. I can't feel my legs. I think I'm leaking. I am, my oil is leaking. I'm bleeding out. Please stranger. I don't want to go like this. My lens. They are getting darker. I can see the code. These lines say there's a bright light. I'm going. I'm going into the light.

_With a loud groan, Claptrap lets its spindly arms fall to the ground and lies there still, as though dead._

_Roland looks around in slight confusion back at Marcus._

_Understanding Roland's silent question, Marcus rolls his eyes._

MARCUS

That's Claptrap: Computerised Language… something-or-other, I don't know. Belongs to Tannis.

ROLAND

Local scientist?

MARCUS

Local nutcase. Between her and her robot, I'm not sure who's more insane.

_Marcus steps forwards and gives the small robot on the ground a firm kick._

MARCUS

Oi!

_Claptrap suddenly springs back into action. And acts as through it's only just realised it's been shot._

CLAPTRAP

Hey! It's rude to wake the dead. Wait. Are these… Oh my God, I've been shot. Oh, the agony. Please, stranger. Help me. I… I… I heard you wanted to go to Sanctuary. My master… she has a device that can take you there.

_Suddenly Roland's full attention is on the robot._

ROLAND

She does?

MARCUS

No. She Claims to have a device, which can get you there. I've never seen it.

_Roland barely gives Marcus's comment a moments thought before turning back to Claptrap._

ROLAND

What do you need?

CLAPTRAP

I think I need… … a heart.

_Behind Roland, Marcus scoffs._

MARCUS

Would you like a brain and some courage to go with that?

CLAPTRAP

Do you have any?

_The Claptrap's response is eager and quick enough that it almost sounds as though it was taking Marcus seriously._

MARCUS

I told you. It's a piece of junk. Malfunctioning hardware.

CLAPTRAP

I just want to be a real boy.

ROLAND

Well if this Tannis managed to build this Robot, maybe the device that it spoke about is real. I want to check it out.

_Marcus shrugs as though in defeat._

MARCUS

OK then. Your funeral.

_Marcus starts to turn away. Roland looks down at the Claptrap._

ROLAND

Where can I find Tannis?

53. INT. CRIMSON LANCE SHIP, EMPTY ROOM – DAY

_MORDECAI has barely moved, the fact that his arms are still chained to the chair behind him being a major factor behind this._

_He's obviously been here for quite some time and looks beyond bored._

_His attention is suddenly grabbed by the sound of the door sliding open._

_Slowly looking up in annoyance he rolls his eyes as STEELE again makes her way to the chair opposite Mordecai._

_Once more, she simply stares at him. He returns with a glare neither blinking._

_After a few beat, Steele does blink, allowing Mordecai an excuse to taunt her._

MORDECAI

Ha. You blinked. I win. So, having another go at a conversation are we? I tell you what; I'll start you off: Hi. I'm…

STEELE

…Mordecai

_Mordecai looks annoyed at being interrupted, but right now he's too pissed off with his situation to care._

MORDECAI

Well done. You found my file.

STEELE

Your file does not mention that you are working with a known terrorist; Roland?

MORDECAI

… … Well done. You found my other file.

STEELE

And now you are working with a Siren. This is, surprising, after what they did to you.

_Now Mordecai is starting to get angry._

MORDECAI

Is there a point to this?

STEELE

The point, is that between your earlier decisions and your recent success at destroying a very important ship…

MORDECAI

It was an accident.

STEELE

Accident or not; You're immediate future does not seem to be particularly pleasant… or long… … unless… … What do you know about the planet below us?

MORDECAI

Nothing.

_Steele lets out what sounds like a disappointed sigh and looks around towards the door behind her where a guard is stood._

STEELE

Unchain him.

54. INT. CRIMSON LANCE SHIP, PRISON BLOCK – DAY

_LILITH is pulled from her own thought's and turns towards the large steel door as it is pulled open and MORDECAI is pushed through roughly, stumbling a bit before ending up on the ground._

_Lilith darts over and tries to helps him up as the door is swung closed and locked._

_As Mordecai regains his feet Lilith steps back trying to massage her wrists beneath the glowing blue energy cuffs._

LILITH

What happened?

MORDECAI

I just had a quick chat with the Commandant.

LILITH

And?

MORDECAI

She's going for a quick stroll on the planet, and we're staying here. Pretty boring, really.

_The ship begins to shake as it starts to enter the planet's atmosphere. Mordecai looks around towards the guards who are holding onto anything attached firmly to the wall._

_He leans in close to Lilith._

MORDECAI

The guards however, where a bit more forthcoming.

_He raises his right hand, now uncuffed and quickly flashes a key._

_Lilith looks amazed._

LILITH

They gave it to you?

_Mordecai responds with a bemused look at Lilith's outrageous comment._

MORDECAI

Hardly. But when you wear as much armour as they do, it gets hard to feel when someone slips into your pockets.

55. EXT. PANDORA, ABOVE SANCTARY – DAY

_The Crimson Lance ship hovers above the city of Sanctuary, taking a moment to level itself out._

_After a beat it slowly begins to lower itself into the large port just outside of the city._

56. EXT. SANCTUARY, PORT – DAY

_A platform lowers itself from the bottom of the Crimson Lance ship carrying STEELE as well as around two dozen Crimson Lance MERCENARIES._

_As the platform hits the concreted floor, STEELE steps off accompanied by the mercenaries._

57. INT. CRIMSON LANCE SHIP, PRISON BLOCK – DAY

_The solitary GUARD is pacing back and forth in front of the cell housing MORDECAI and LILITH._

_After a moment he grabs the radio from his side._

CRIMSON LANCE GUARD

Eddie! Where the hell are you? It's your shift.

_It takes a moment for a reply to come back through the radio._

EDDIE

I'll be there in five minutes.

CRIMSON LANCE GUARD

Be here in thirty seconds. I'm going for a piss.

_Sliding the radio back into it's holder by his side, the Crimson Lance guard storms out through the door leading to the prison block leaving Mordecai and Lilith alone._

_Both of them pause for a moment, not quite believing their luck. Suddenly Mordecai springs into action._

MORDECAI

Right!

_Kneeling down next to the steel door he pulls out the key and attempts to push it into the lock._

_After a few attempts, it slides in and the door swings open as Mordecai turns it clockwise._

_The two prisoners step out into the room. Lilith takes a moment to once more enjoy freedom as Mordecai tosses the keys back into the cell and pushes the door closed, locking them in._

_Lilith looks at him, amusement crossing her face._

LILITH

Where DID you learn how to pickpocket?

MORDECAI

Just, something I picked up along the way.

_Lilith smiles at his response._

_Instead of returning it, Mordecai instead strides over to the door, which automatically slides open as he approaches it._

_He peers out into the corridor._

LILITH

Anyone?

MORDECAI

Empty.

_Mordecai shakes his head as he responds._

_Glancing back at Lilith he cautiously slips into the corridor._

_Lilith follows him out of the Prison Block._


	7. The Not so Great Escape

_This scene was initially meant to be much smaller and part of a larger chapter, but while I was choreographing the original fight I realized that it was too similar to a fight planned for later in the script. If there's one thing I'm adamant about when writing, its that every action scene has its own distinct, unique tone from the others in the story. I'm kind of glad I chose to rebuild this scene though because it allowed me to cameo a character who was never intended for this story at all. So, as always, I hope you enjoy the following..._

* * *

57. INT. CRIMSON LANCE SHIP, PRISON BLOCK CORRIDOR – DAY

_MORDECAI darts down the corridor keeping a sharp eye out for even the slightest sign of movement._

_Coming up to a corner he slows right down and pushes himself against the wall._

_Behind him LILITH imitates this action, her excitement at being free suddenly replaced by concern that they may be discovered and either killed on the spot or taken back._

_Sliding up to the corner, Mordecai pokes his head out and glances down the corridor's extension._

_It's empty._

_Breathing out a sigh of relief he turns to Lilith and beckons her to follow before peeling himself from the wall and rounding the bend._

_Lilith follows. Her expression once more returned to excitement with a hint of confusion._

LILITH

Where is everyone?

_Snapping his head around, Mordecai silently shrugs before indicating for her to be silent._

_Lilith looks around nervously before sprinting after Mordecai, who's already half way down the corridor._

58. INT. CRIMSON LANCE SHIP, DOCKING CORRIDOR – DAY

_A few minutes later, MORDECAI and LILITH both reach a large door, which leads out of the ship and into the port._

_Mordecai hits the panel next to the door and they both stand expectantly in front of it as the chamber on the other side pressurises._

_Lilith is still in awe over how easy the escape has been up until this point._

LILITH

Ok, this was far too easy. I don't like this.

MORDECAI

Lets not question a miracle, lest you jinx us.

_Having finished its process, the door they are stood next to slides open allowing the duo to quickly jog through the pressure chamber, out and away from the ship._

59. INT. SUNCTUARY PORT, DOCKING CORRIDOR – DAY

_Exiting the ship they both find themselves in an elevated corridor. The corridor is around four stories high, the entrance and pressure chamber to the Crimson Lance ship being located near the top. Large openings in the corridor allow for a decent view of the port._

_Seeing that this corridor is also empty, Lilith starts to rush ahead._

_Mordecai begins to follow her however something catches his eye and he stops, walking over to one of the openings and looking down and slightly back towards the Crimson Lance ship._

_Down on the ground level, dozens upon dozens of Crimson Lance soldiers stand in formation while STEELE stands out the front giving an unheard speech._

_Glancing behind her, Lilith comes to a stop as she notices Mordecai looking out of the opening._

_Giving the way to freedom a quick look she jogs back to Mordecai._

_He hears her coming and looks up._

MORDECAI

I found out why we didn't run into anyone on the ship.

_Lilith approaches the opening and looks down towards the small army beneath them._

_As she watches a lone figure strides out of one of the nearby buildings and makes a beeline straight for Steele._

_Waving his arms around, the man is clearly angry about something but the conversation is not heard._

_Steele listens to the man for a few moments, but after that she decides she's had enough._

_Pulling a revolver out from around her waist she raises it up to the man and without a moments delay pulls the trigger._

_The man is thrown backwards and hits the floor, dead._

MORDECAI

I think we've stayed long enough.

_Mordecai takes a step back from the opening and prepares to make his way down the corridor. Lilith meanwhile is shocked by what she's just seen and takes a moment to react to Mordecai leaving._

_Mordecai only makes it a few steps before a voice suddenly calls out behind him._

CRIMSON LANCE GUARD

Hey!

_Mordecai spins around to see the same GUARD who was watching them in the cells stepping through the pressure chamber._

_It has only taken him a second to recognise Mordecai and he is already pulling his assault rifle out to shoot at them._

MORDECAI

GO!

_Taking off down the corridor, Mordecai leaps to the side as a stream of bullets passes through the air where he was stood only moments earlier._

_Lilith also bolts away from the Crimson Lance guard, ducking her head as another round is fired._

_The Crimson Lance Guard is able to let out two more bursts both missing as his targets round a bend in the corridor._

_Lowering his gun, the guard gives chase._

60. INT. SANCTUARY PORT, VARIOUS CORRIDORS – DAY

_Spinning to his right, Mordecai rounds yet another bend._

_As he sprints down the corridor he starts to slow down and looks back, waiting to see if Lilith is still behind him._

_He question is answered as she comes round the bend._

_Allowing her to catch up, the pair approaches the end of the corridor, which becomes a T-junction._

_Getting there first, Mordecai chooses left and Lilith follows._

61. INT. SANCTUARY PORT, ENTRANCE CORRIDOR – DAY

_The pair race down a long corridor._

_About half way down is a small passage leading to the exit, out to Sanctuary._

_Mordecai rounds the corner first but stops as he does so, allowing Lilith to overtake him._

_He leans out and looks back down the corridor, waiting for the Crimson Lance guard to show up._

_Over by the exit, Lilith looks back at him._

LILITH

Is he gone?

MORDECAI

For now.

_He turns and half walks, half jogs over to Lilith._

LILITH

So that's it. We're really free.

_Mordecai hits the panel to open the door and looks back at Lilith as it slides open, not seeing what's outside._

MORDECAI

Remember what I said about jinxing us?

_He takes a step out of the building before looking out in front of him and stopping dead in his tracks._

62. EXT. SANCTUARY, PORT ENTRANCE - DAY

_Unlike the rest of the settlements on Pandora, Sanctuary somewhat resembles a modern to futuristic city, however at the moment, its less city and more ruins._

_The area where Mordecai and Lilith have emerged is on the outskirts and is dominated by single or double story houses and low buildings. In the distance, a small number of taller buildings stand together._

_As Mordecai watches a loud boom followed by a plume of smoke indicates a nearby explosion._

_A loud noise is heard overhead and both Mordecai and Lilith, who has also stepped out and is stood next to him, instinctively duck their heads as a small attack craft flies directly over the top of them coming from the port. The Crimson Lance insignia can be seen painted on the side._

_As it flies down the street a small group of Pandoran soldiers race out from one of the buildings. Two of them turn and start firing at the attack craft but a few missiles sent in their direction quickly wipe them all out._

_Above the attack craft another large Crimson Lance ship flies over the city and hovers over the docks, preparing to land._

_Mordecai grabs Lilith's arm and steps backwards, back through the doors into the port._

63. INT. SANCTUARY PORT, ENTRANCE CORRIDORS – DAY

_Stepping back from the carnage outside, Mordecai turns to Lilith._

MORDECAI

You know what; I've got a better idea.

_Letting go of Lilith's arm, he darts down the passage away from the entrance and back into the larger corridor._

_As he enters the corridor, he skids to a stop as he sees who's stood only about ten meters from him._

_The CRIMSON LANCE GUARD raises his assault rifle as he spots Mordecai emerge from the entrance passage._

_Quickly changing his mind, Mordecai jumps back into the passage and races back towards Lilith who hasn't moved from where he left her._

_As Mordecai passes her, he pushes against her back, urging her to get moving._

MORDECAI

Never mind. Back to plan A.

_They both exit the building._

64. EXT. SUNCTUARY, PORT ENTRANCE – DAY

_Racing out of the port, Mordecai runs diagonally down the street, aiming for a ruined building off to the left._

_Lilith only just manages to keep up her arms bouncing painfully in front of her, still bound by the glowing cuffs._

_Before they have made it even half way to the building, the Crimson Lance Guard emerges from the port entrance and lifts his gun to fire._

_This time he targets Lilith instead of Mordecai and unleashes a short burst._

_The bullets only just miss, flying right in front of Lilith's face, causing her to stumble in surprise and fall to the ground._

_Hearing Lilith fall behind him, Mordecai turns to check whether or not she's still alive._

_Seeing her on the ground uninjured, he shoots a quick glance at the Guard who is readjusting his aim and spins back._

_At the same time as the guard pulls the trigger, Mordecai suddenly stops dead, causing the Guard to over adjust his aim._

_A number of small bullet holes are punched into the road only a few feet in front of Mordecai._

_As soon as the burst finishes Mordecai immediately leaps into action, making it to Lilith in only a few steps and violently grabbing her arm, all but dragging her to her feet._

_The guard, now frustrated, centres Mordecai in his sights and pulls the trigger… only to hear the click of an empty barrel._

_Cursing, the guard yanks the empty clip out of the assault rifle and reaches into a pouch for a new one._

_This is all the time Mordecai and Lilith need to dash over to the ruined building and disappear inside it._

65. INT. SUNCTUARY, RUINED BUILDING – DAY

_Entering through a hole in the wall into what appears to be a small dining room, Mordecai finally releases Lilith's arm._

_He strides across the room towards a small door leading into the kitchen._

MORDECAI

You know, this would be a really good time for you to use your invisible, magic trick ability.

LILITH

I can't right now!

_Lilith rolls her eyes and shakes the glowing cuffs in front of her face to emphasise the point._

_Passing through the kitchen, they enter a short hall, which leads to a back room._

MORDECAI

Can you do anything with those things on?

LILITH

Beyond kicking and screaming?..

_The tone of her voice answers the question._

_Shaking his head in frustration, Mordecai leans out through one of the shattered windows, leading from the back room, back outside onto what appears to be a currently empty street._

_Quickly making his decision, Mordecai jumps through the window._

66. EXT. SANCTUARY, EMPTY STREET – DAY

_The plume of an explosion can be seen rising above the low buildings, accompanied by a dull rumble._

_Turning back to see Lilith climbing through the window after him, Mordecai looks left and right, trying to decide on a direction._

_After a moment he chooses right, towards the central part of the city._

_The pair cross the road and stay close to the sidewalk on the left hand side._

_Hearing a loud noise behind him, Mordecai turns and looks up as one of the larger Crimson Lance ships floats up from the port and begins to fly over Sanctuary._

_As the ship passes over Mordecai and Lilith, drop pods begin to appear from the underside of the ship, falling down into the city._

_Seeing a second and then third Lance ship rise from the port, Mordecai returns his gaze to where he's currently running…_

_…and slams into a drop pod as it hits the ground only a few feet in front of him, barely giving him enough time to raise his arms to absorb the impact, let alone stop._

_Having come to a sudden halt, Mordecai takes a step back and quickly examines the pod. A thin outline marks where the pod opens to release the soldier within._

_As Lilith jogs up to Mordecai, somewhat amazed that he wasn't squashed under the pod, he slowly starts to move around the pod, putting himself on the other side to the pod's opening._

_A rumbling is heard coming from the pod. Hissing can be heard as the pressure controlled door mechanics spring to life._

_The area within the thin outline is pushed out and slowly starts to slide open, revealing inside a soldier suited up in thick oversized armour. None of the man can be seen through the full body suit, which makes him look larger than Brick. On his back is a pair of fuel tanks, which connect to a flamethrower held in his hands._

_Although Mordecai put himself on the other side of the pod to the opening, Lilith did not and is seen by the fire-soldier almost as soon as the pod releases him._

_Stepping out of the pod, the fire-soldier raises the flamethrower to point it at Lilith and pulls the trigger._

_At the same time Lilith automatically raises her arms as through shielding her face even though she knows that it'll do no good against the weapon._

_Searing white hot flames shoot out of the flamethrower towards Lilith._

_Amazingly, the column of flames veers off to Lilith's left before hitting her as Mordecai jumps the fire-soldier from the side, knocking off his aim._

_Grabbing hold of and pushing the flamethrower to the side, Mordecai screams in pain as steam rises from his hands where they are grabbing the burning hot barrel of the flamethrower._

_Tearing his hands away, he only has a moment to realise his plan didn't extend much beyond this point before the fire-soldier brings the weapon back and uses it to smash Mordecai in the face._

_Falling to the ground dazed, Mordecai rolls onto his side and notices Lilith rooted to the spot as she watches the fight._

MORDECAI

Get out of here!

_He doesn't have a chance to say much more as the fire soldier brings a heavy armoured boot down onto his ribs, likely cracking a few._

_Lilith suddenly springs into action and sprints directly towards the fire-soldier._

_She raises her arms and slams into the massive bodysuit._

_The effect is barely noticeable, the intended result of throwing the soldier off balance fails dismally as he hardly moves at all._

_Its not completely in vain though as Mordecai feels some of the pressure ease off of his torso as the soldier transfers his weight into his other leg. This is enough for Mordecai to roll painfully out._

_It's Lilith's turn now to cop the full anger of the soldier as he pulls back a metal fist and slams it into her chest, sending her flying onto her back._

_The fire-soldier brings up his flamethrower and points it at Lilith._

_Before he can pull the trigger the soldier is surprised as a handful of dust and small pebbles impact against his helmet. The result is nothing more than a distraction and it works a charm as the wall of flame intended for Lilith instead arcs around towards Mordecai instead._

_Thinking quick, Mordecai dives onto the ground towards the fire-soldier, the deadly billowy flames passing right over the top of him._

_Rolling out of the dive, Mordecai leaps onto is feet and darts over to where Lilith is pushing herself up from the ground._

_Momentarily disorientated, the fire-soldier quickly relocates Mordecai pulling Lilith to her feet and aims his weapon as they both try to put as much distance between the soldier and themselves as they can._

_Another burst emerges from the weapon and although the aim is dead on it falls just short of its targets who are aiming for a small divide between buildings._

MORDECAI

Quick! Over there!

_Reaching the small opening, Lilith turns sideways and squeezes into the gap. There's barely enough room for her but it seems a better alternate than wasting time trying to hack through the multitude of completely boarded up windows and doors littering the buildings either side._

_Mordecai watches impatiently as Lilith slides through the gap wondering whether or not he'll even fit. Behind him, the fire-soldier closes the gap although the large bulky armour means that his speed is far from terrific._

_Regardless, it only takes a few seconds for Mordecai to come within range and the flamethrower is fired._

_Turning around at just the right time, Mordecai darts to the side, dodging the flames._

_The fire slides into the gap where Lilith has almost reached the other end. The small area seems to focus the flames and they race towards her._

_Ducking her head Lilith scrambles towards the end of the gap and manages to wrap her hands around the other side._

_A second burst comes from the flamethrower, this time aimed directly down the gap._

_Lilith pulls herself out of the gap and throws herself to the side as flames erupt from the thin space right next to her. After a second they disappear._

_Breathing a quick sigh of relief she tears herself away from the wall she had planted herself against and races down the small alley she's just entered towards a wide street away from the fire-soldier._

_Mordecai seems to have run out of idea's as the fire-soldier aims his gun directly down the small gap, ignoring Mordecai for the moment._

_That changes as Mordecai races up to him and attempts to tackle the soldier._

_Again the result is almost laughable and the soldier swings the barrel of the flamethrower towards Mordecai._

_Anticipating the move this time Mordecai ducks under the weapon and reaches out with both hands, grabbing the soldiers hand and wrapping his elbow around the soldiers arm to get a tighter grip, turning his body into the soldier in the process, so that his back is now against the soldiers chest._

_The fire-soldier attempts to shake his arm free and Mordecai is swung to his right before being pulled back into the solder as it changes its tactics and attempts to squash Mordecai against its body._

_Bringing the other arm up, the fire-soldier manages to get a chokehold on Mordecai who has to suddenly start gasping for breath._

_Mordecai releases the fire-soldiers gun arm and brings both hands up to his neck attempting to pry the thick armour away from his throat. However with both hands free the soldier can push down harder._

_Mordecai starts turning blue as his eyes roll back into his skull, almost at the point of unconsciousness._

_He's suddenly brought back however as three bullets bounce off of the fire-soldiers armour, causing him to drop Mordecai and turn towards the next attacker._

_Vision slightly blurred, Mordecai looks over and spots a small group of Pandoran soldiers down the street holding rifles and pistols._

_The Pandoran's fire off a few more shots. The few bullets that don't go wide bounce harmlessly off of the fire-soldiers thick armour._

_Deciding that out in the open really isn't the place to be, Mordecai rolls onto his stomach and half runs, half crawls back towards the window he originally entered the street from as the bullets from the Pandoran soldiers which don't find the fire-soldier whiz through the air just above his head._

_As he reaches the footpath he feels a touch safer, no longer being in the firing line._

_Dragging himself up to the window he gives himself a half second breather before finally getting up off of his hands and standing up, looking through the smashed window… right into the face of the guard from earlier._

_Mordecai drops back down again under the window frame as the guard lets loose a burst from his rifle into the space where Mordecai's head was just a moment earlier._

_Letting out a concerned growl, Mordecai re-evaluates his position and dashes away from the window and the guard, back out onto the road where the Pandoran's are trying to take down the fire-soldier._

67. EXT. SANCTUARY, MAIN STREET – DAY

_Lilith emerges from the alley onto a wide street. On either side, the street is lined with small two and three story stores, most with a glass front although many of them have a steel fire protective shutter pulled down, closing them off. There's no-one on the street at the moment._

_A few blocks away one of the small fighter crafts fires down on something, at first with bullets before following them up with a missile, causing a large explosion. Satisfied with it's work the fighter turns away and heads towards the main city._

_To her right a large Crimson Lance ship hovers over the town, also headed in the direction of the main area of the city. The ship slows down for a moment to drop half a dozen drop-pods into the area before speeding off._

_Both ships are two far away to affect her._

_From behind her she can hear the sound of gunfire coming from the street where she left Mordecai. Looking back, her face appears conflicted between going back to help him, assuming he's still alive, and acknowledging that as long as her hands are bound by the cuffs, she's the next best thing before completely useless._

_Turning back to the street she starts to jog over to the other side._

_As she gets about half way across a low boom steals her attention and she slows to a stop. The boom is not one of an explosion but of something impacting the ground. And the sound is uncomfortably close._

_Looking down the street in the direction of the noise, Lilith takes a step backwards as she hears another impact._

_A third impact hints at what's coming but it's the fourth that makes it visible as it rounds a building about thirty meters down the street._

_It could loosely be described as another man in a suit, but this is more of a mech than a suit. Three times higher than Lilith and just as wide the only hint of human control is the head of a greying but hardened man, with a patch covering his right eye sticking out of a small hole near the top of the mech suit. Each of the long arms end with massive launchers._

_As he enters the street, KNOXX turns his head towards Lilith and immediately raises one of the Devastators massive arms._

_He lets out a grin as somewhere in the machine he pushes the launch button._

_An RPG rocket flies out of the launcher and spirals through the air towards Lilith._

_Lilith dashes to one side and throws herself into a dive as the rocket hits the street causing a reasonably sized fireball and showering the area in debris._

_Struggling to her feet, not an easy task with bound hands, Lilith dashes towards the shops on the far side of the street as Knoxx switches arms and re-aims._

_Evidentially he's right handed as the second rocket is nowhere near as accurate as the first, flying into one of the shop windows blowing a huge hole in the wall._

_Seeing the opportunity, Lilith heads towards this hole as Knoxx aims the now reloaded, first Devastator arm at her._

_A rocket comes flying out of the launcher on the end of the arm just as Lilith darts into the hole, and explodes against the side of the opening, the shockwave from the blast throwing Lilith across the room and into one of the walls._

68. INT. SACTUARY, TWO-STORY STORE - DAY

_Despite being sore all over Lilith examines her surroundings. She has two options, a steel door leading deeper into the building, or a staircase that runs parallel to the street she's just come off of._

_She heads for the large door and pushes down on the handle._

_It's locked. Frustrated she gives it a few more tries before slamming both her palms against the door and dashing up the staircase._

_At the top is a small-carpeted corridor, lined with windows looking out over the main street. The corridor leads off in both directions, each ending in what appears to be offices._

_Lilith ops to head in the direction away from Knoxx, not contemplating for a second that although the corridor is completely intact, that direction will take her over the section destroyed by Knoxx's earlier rocket._

_This fact quickly becomes apparent as she races down the corridor, when the floor suddenly gives way beneath her feet._

_Arms held out in front of her, Lilith lets out a scream as she drops down._

_She never hits the floor though as her bound hands somehow manage to catch a thick, steel beam poking out from the other side of the now ruined corridor. With her shoulders taking the main grunt of the sudden stop, Lilith finds herself hanging by her wrists, just inside of the opening created by the General earlier._

_Attempting to pull herself up and trying to slide the cuffs towards the end of the steel beam, Lilith flops around, like a fish hanging off a line, as low, rumbling footsteps indicate that Knoxx is making his way towards her position._

69. EXT. SANCTUARY, (FORMERLY) EMPTY STREET – DAY

_Foot catching on a piece of broken street, Mordecai finds himself hitting the ground as bullet holes pepper the street just to his left._

_Behind him, the guard pulls out another empty clip and begins replacing it._

_Just down the street, the Pandoran soldiers are now in range of the fire-soldier, who lets off a burst of flame right into the heart of the group. The soldiers split down the middle._

_Only able to follow one group, the fire-soldiers pivots left and two of the Pandoran's catch alight, the intense heat all but melting them._

_The remaining soldier from the left group and the four which make up the right group, round the fire-soldier, putting themselves behind him and firing off another round._

_The fire soldier pivots on the spot, still firing and two more Pandoran's go down._

_Rethinking their strategies, the remaining three soldiers race away from the fire-soldier trying to get out of its range._

_As they leg it away from the fire-soldier, one of the fighter pods suddenly swoops down from over the low buildings and fires off two missiles, cleaning up the remainder of the squad before disappearing._

_Thanking the heavens that the fighter didn't see him, Mordecai goes for the small gap that Lilith disappeared down earlier._

_The sound of bullets racing past his ears prompts him to change direction._

_Unfortunately, the direction he chooses in the heat of the moment takes him directly towards the fire-soldier._

_Knowing he can't let himself slow down, Mordecai speeds up, grabbing the fire-soldiers arm as he tears past it and using it to swing himself around right in front of it, putting it between him and the guard._

_The guard fires at Mordecai as he does this, but his aim is now obstructed, the fire-soldier seems pretty capable of resisting bullets._

_The flamethrower is swung towards Mordecai and he ducks under it._

_The soldier tries again, but this time swings low._

_Not expecting that, Mordecai finds himself being slammed on his shoulder, sending him stumbling sideways, out of the fire-soldiers protection._

_Bullets immediately fly his way as he rolls across the ground away from his attacker and back onto his feet._

_Out of the corner of his eye he spots the flamethrower being aimed in his direction._

_Jumping towards the flame-soldier he swings out his arm and just manages to knock the flamethrower to one side as it sends out a ball of flame._

_In his current position, both he and the flame-soldier are standing side-on to the guard allowing for a clear shot at Mordecai._

_The guard raises his rifle and aims it._

_Grabbing both of the flame-soldiers shoulders, Mordecai uses every ounce of strength his stick figure form will allow to try and force the man between him and the guard._

_He's only half successful, as he seems to move further than the soldier does, however the soldier does turn with Mordecai exposing his back to the guard._

_As this happens the guard lets loose a stream of bullets. Some miss, a good portion bounce off of the fire-soldiers back. But one finds a completely different target._

_Piercing the fuel tank strapped to the back of the fire-soldier a loud hissing noise is heard as the pressure inside the tank very quickly becomes critical._

_Hearing this, Mordecai's eyes widen and he pushes himself away from the fire-soldier and begins to leg-it down the street as fast as he can manage._

_The fire-soldier turns his head to look at the tank strapped to his back._

_The soldier is suddenly replaced by a massive, blood infused fireball as the fuel tank explodes taking the soldier with it._

_Only just making it out of the range of the explosion, Mordecai doesn't even look back to enjoy the show as he tears through an open door which is where we assume the Pandoran soldiers entered the street from earlier._

_As he leaves the street, pieces of the fire-soldiers armour rain onto the ground as a mini mushroom cloud rises over street._

70. EXT. SANCTUARY, MAIN STREET – DAY

_The glass from a window shatters as a thick paperweight flies through it, followed closely by Mordecai._

_Landing on the footpath he quickly takes in his surroundings and is not impressed by what he sees._

_Almost directly across the street from him, Lilith is hanging by her wrists from a steel beam just inside of a ruined wall and what looks like a giant mech is slowly making its way towards her._

_Knoxx notices Mordecai a few second after he enters the street. It only takes half a second to register that Mordecai is not wearing Crimson Lance armor, instantly making him a viable target._

_Knoxx raises his right launcher and fires a rocket in Mordecai's direction._

_As Mordecai darts across the street in Lilith's direction, the rockets powers straight past him and impacts against the bottom of the window he'd just run through._

_Mordecai speeds up and a rocket from Knoxx's left launcher flies wide and hits the ground behind him._

_Having to wait a few seconds for both launchers to go through their automatic reload cycle gives Mordecai enough time to finish crossing the road and dash through the ruined wall into the store where Lilith is._

71. INT. SANTUARY, TWO-STORY STORE – DAY

MORDECAI

Decided to hang around for me, did you?

_Lilith rolls her eyes at the terrible pun._

LILITH

Help me.

_Mordecai looks up at the steel beam, quickly assessing Lilith's problem._

_Placing himself beneath her, he reaches up and places his hands underneath her boots, wrapping his fingers around her feet._

MORDECAI

On the count of three, push down on my hands.

_Although she hears exactly what he says, Lilith gets eager and pushes down with her legs almost straight away. Not ready for the extra weight, Mordecai's arms fall away having almost no effect._

MORDECAI

I said on three!

LILITH

I'm sorry, but we're kind of on the clock here.

_She looks around in the direction of the steady impacts signalling Knoxx's approach. Going by the sound, he'll be at the gap within a few more steps._

_Mordecai also looks in that direction before turning back to Lilith._

MORDECAI

Alright: Three!

_Lilith pushes down with her legs as though jumping while Mordecai tenses his arms to take her weight. Although she doesn't rise by much, enough weight is taken off of the cuffs for them to slide along the beam._

_Unfortunately, they slide the wrong way, towards the base of the ruined corridor and further onto the beam. Seeing this Mordecai lets out a quiet growl of frustration._

MORDECAI

The other way! Once more: Three!

_They try again and this time Lilith leans back as she pushes down. The cuffs slide in the right direction, moving just past the point where she started._

_Lilith looks up at her hands and grins as she sees them edge closer to freedom. However the grin disappears as she looks back down._

_Through the ruined wall, Knoxx can now be seen. He's stood a few meters back onto he street but is still uncomfortably close. The smile crossing his face indicates that he now has a pretty good view of her, hanging out in the open._

_Mordecai takes a quick look at Knoxx and almost immediately lets go of Lilith._

MORDECAI

Hang tight.

_He darts off in the direction of the steel door, bracing his shoulder and slamming into it, trying to bash it open._

_Instead he simply bounces off of it, the door seemingly unaffected._

_There's a beat where Mordecai nurses a sore shoulder._

_Suddenly the wall around the door just crumbles, falling away to make a gap slightly larger than what the door would have on its own._

_Mordecai shoots one final glance at Lilith and disappears through the gap._

_Watching him vanish through the thick dust stirred up by the wall falling apart, Lilith's face turns to fear as she hears Knoxx stop out on the street._

_She turns to face the man in the Devastator mech suit._

_Peering at her through his remaining eye, Knoxx raises his right launcher and takes aim. His target it close and immobile, there's next to no chances of him missing._

_Something inside the launcher grinds as the rocket is ignited inside the tube._

_From the end of the launcher, the rocket emerges, beginning its journey towards Lilith._

_Lilith continues to glare at Knoxx._

_A revolver fires a single bullet._

_Suddenly the rocket explodes in mid air almost half way between Knoxx and Lilith. Caught off guard, Knoxx stumbles backwards, which in the Devastator makes for some very clunky and awkward movements._

_Stood in the hole where the steel door was earlier, Mordecai pulls once more on the revolver trigger. It clicks empty._

_Deciding that its no more use to him he ditches it to the side and runs back to Lilith._

_Grabbing her feet he doesn't even bother counting and simply pushes upwards. Lilith takes her cue and pushes down allowing the cuffs to slide to and over the end of the steel beam._

_Falling to the floor Mordecai moves to try and catch Lilith. The end result however is that Lilith lands on him, sending him stumbling backwards grabbing her around the waist._

_His back hits a nearby wall, hard, followed closely by his head. For a moment his eyes roll back as stars flash in front of his eyes._

_Lilith seems to be aright, falling into Mordecai as he hits the wall._

_Quickly finding her feet she grabs Mordecai's arm and pulls him through the gap where the steel door was previously._

_Through the ruined wall on the other side, Knoxx is still recovering from the earlier blast, one hand visibly extending from the hole where his head pokes through the mech, rubbing at his eye._

_Running through what looks like a sitting room attached to the store, Lilith and Mordecai enter a long corridor with wooden floorboards and doors leading into various rooms along the sides._

_Lilith allows herself a victory laugh as Mordecai starts taking his own weight and they put more distance between themselves and Knoxx._

LILITH

Yes! We are out of here.

_She takes two more steps and is suddenly brought to a halt by two stocky soldiers emerging right in front of her, from one of the doors down the corridor._

_The soldiers are not Crimson Lance but that doesn't stop them from pointing their guns at the pair. Unlike the Crimson Lance soldiers though, they don't immediately start shooting, instead holding their ground, stopping Lilith and Mordecai from going any further down the corridor._

_Mordecai turns around and only makes it a step back down in the direction they just came before being stopped by three more soldiers stepping out from two doors on either side of the corridor. _

_They're boxed in_

_Mordecai turns back to Lilith._

MORDECAI

What did I tell you earlier about jinxing us?

_One of the Pandoran's from the group in front of them steps forwards and examines Lilith. His eyes run down her body, stopping at the glowing cuffs binding her wrists._

PANDORAN

Prisoners.

_Mordecai steps forwards putting himself next to Lilith._

MORDECAI

Shit lawyer.

_He smiles sarcastically at the Pandoran soldier._

_Suddenly a female voice with an English accent is heard from behind him, causing both Mordecai and Lilith to spin around._

HELENA

Lawyers? There's a rare privilege these days.

_From the door on the left, Helena emerges. She remains profile to Mordecai and Lilith so that only the right side of her face can be seen._

HELENA

So does that make you one of our prisoners…

_She pauses for a brief moment before turning her head to look directly at Mordecai, revealing a huge, fresh, scarred area covering a fair portion of the left side of her face._

HELENA

… Or theirs?

_Mordecai and Lilith simply stare back at Helena, neither saying a word._


	8. A Mad Scientist

Sorry about the lengthy wait. Real life took over for a while there and I had to refocus my attention to a paid scripting job. Thankfully, I kept pretty in depth notes so was able to jump straight back into this adventure. Speaking of this adventure, I believe there's only more cast member to introduce before we've met the full ensemble. After that the insanities can really commence. Keep an eye out for a character introduction in this chapter who I bet you didn't even realize was missing yet. And as always, I hope you enjoy the story. Will try to update again soon.

* * *

72. EXT. RUST COMMONS, ENCLOSED VALLEY - DAY

_Exiting out from a thin chasm, Roland looks around the small valley. On all sides are steep cliff walls with the only two exits being the chasm he entered through and a slightly wider opening in the cliff just off to his left._

_At the top of a small rise to his right sits a lone shack. A group of 5 Raak circle above the shack._

_Adjusting his grip on Claptrap, who is being carried by Roland, he picks out a natural path leading up to the shack and begins up it._

_As he approaches the shack Claptrap begins to sing to the tune of Singing in the Rain._

CLAPTRAP

I'm moaning in pain,

Bemoaning in pain,

My innards falling out, I'm going,

Rusty again.

_Roland reaches the shack and pauses for a moment._

CLAPTRAP

Are we there yet?

_Roland gives Claptrap a funny look before placing it on the ground._

_Standing back up, he knocks twice on the door._

_There's a beat._

_The door opens a crack and an eye appears in the gap. It looks Roland up and down for a second before the door suddenly slams shut._

TANNIS

I'm not home.

ROLAND

Are you Patricia Tannis?

TANNIS

… Only on Wednesdays.

_Roland looks down at Claptrap next to him. Noticing the movement, Claptrap swivels its camera to look back up at him._

_Rolling forwards, Claptrap pushes the door open with one of its spindly arms and moves into the shack._

73. INT. TANNIS'S SHACK, MAIN ROOM – DAY

_The shack is made up of only two rooms, a big, main room, which Claptrap enters into, and a small room off to the side, which presumably leads off into a small bathroom/toilet._

_The main room is almost bursting with various objects ranging from an old couch that looks like its about to fall apart with a bed sheet hanging off of it, suggesting that it doubles as the bed, to numerous pieces of half finished devices presumably built by Tannis for unknown purposes._

_Off to one side of the room is a globe of Pandora. Another corner holds a tall pole with a device attached to it at about chest height. At the back of the room is a large cage, which holds a Bloodwing._

_Tannis is now sat behind a small desk with a holographic computer screen obscuring her. Beneath the floating screen is a pile of large blueprints._

_As Claptrap enters the room followed closely by Roland, Tannis looks up._

TANNIS

How can you help me?

_Roland starts to answer but then stops as he realizes the question wasn't quite what he thought it was._

ROLAND

I um… I fixed your robot.

_He looks down at Claptrap who is now closer to Tannis than Roland._

TANNIS

Did you?

CLAPTRAP

Actually. I think there may still be a few…

_Suddenly Claptrap's voice becomes very deep and distorted._

CLAPTRAP

(CONT.) … loose wires.

_Claptrap finishes his journey over to Tannis._

TANNIS

And my robot then… brought you here?

ROLAND

Yes.?.

_Slowly pushing herself up, Tannis stands up from behind the holographic computer screen giving Roland his first good look at her._

TANNIS

Well mister. I'd like to thank you for bringing my attention to this security flaw in his operating system.

_She emphasizes "security flaw" and directs those two words towards Claptrap who cowers in fear, knowing he's done something wrong._

_Tannis directs a smile, which could almost be friendly, at Roland._

TANNIS

Not to worry. I'll work up a quick patch for this problem, and then _destroy him_.

_Again the last two words are directed at Claptrap in a threatening tone._

_She glares at the robot for a beat before suddenly falling straight back into the friendly tone._

TANNIS

…Just as soon as you've left. OK. Bye bye. Rest in peace. See you later.

_She waves at him subtlety beckoning towards the door._

_Roland doesn't move._

_Tannis awkwardly stares at him._

TANNIS

The doors that way.

_Roland looks back towards the door but doesn't move for it. Turning back to Tannis he opens his mouth as though to say something, but she gets in first._

TANNIS

You're not quite grasping the concept behind a secret lab, are you. GET OUT!

ROLAND

We were told that you could get us to Sanctuary.

_Tannis once more glares at Claptrap._

TANNIS

Were you now!

_It's definitely not a question. She directs her attention back to Roland._

TANNIS

And why would you want to get to Sanctuary?

_Roland rolls his eyes, clearly starting to become a little fed up with the lack of help and constantly having to answer the same question to everyone he meets._

ROLAND

So that I can get the hell off this rock before Atlas starts wondering what happened to their ship.

TANNIS

You were on the Atlas ship?

ROLAND

I helped take the damn thing down.

_Tannis suddenly seems to be lost in thought. She turns away from Roland and looks out of the small window behind her. Hidden from view, she allows a small smile as she churns over an idea._

_After a beat she turns back to Roland. A far cry from the icy reception he's received so far, her demeanour suddenly changes completely into a more warm and friendly attitude._

TANNIS

You know, I can actually get you to Sanctuary.

_Upon finally hearing this good news, Roland lets out a noisy sigh of relief, as well as a somewhat sarcastic…_

ROLAND

Thank Christ.

TANNIS

But, I need you to do a task for me first.

_Just like that, Roland's sense of relief is completely killed._

ROLAND

Nobody around here does anything out of the goodness of their own hearts, do they?

_Tannis steps out from behind her desk and starts walking towards Roland, almost cooing the following line_.

TANNIS

Oh this will be nothing… Certainly compared to taking down a spaceship.

_She stops in front of Roland and reaches up with her hand, moving it as though to place it on his chest. Before she makes contact though she is stopped as Roland grabs her raised arm. His patience is wearing thin._

ROLAND

I don't have time to go running errands.

_Looking down at her arm, Tannis's former icy attitude remerges as she yanks it out of his grasp. She turns away from him and makes her way back around her desk._

TANNIS

Well then. Good luck getting there on foot.

_She turns back to face him._

TANNIS

I suppose you've been told the bandits hold the only pass through the hills.

_Roland is taking a step back, ready to leave as she says this, however as she completes her sentence he hesitates. Looking back towards the door he weighs up his options._

_On the other side of the room the Bloodwing lets out a noise, which seems to be a mix between a growl and a purr._

_Closing his eyes for a moment, Roland turns back to Tannis, defeated._

ROLAND

What is this task?

_Back to warm and friendly, Tannis darts around the desk and grabs one of Roland's hands._

TANNIS

I'll tell you when we get there.

_She starts pulling him across the room. He reluctantly allows her._

ROLAND

Get where?

_Ignoring the question, Tannis pulls up in front of the tall pole, sat in one of the corners of the room and releases Roland. Reaching behind the device attached to the pole, at around chest height, she pulls out what looks like two handles. As they emerge, a holographic screen springs to life in front of the device._

_Grabbing Roland's hand again, she directs it to one of the handles._

TANNIS

Grab this.

ROLAND

What is this?

_He grabs the handle and Tannis begins punching numbers into the holographic screen._

TANNIS

This, is how I'm going to get you past the bandits. But, before that happens…

_She steps back from the screen and grabs the remaining unused handle emerging from the device._

_The screen switches to a POV from Roland as Tannis reaches up and hits a large button on the holographic screen. There's a beat. Suddenly a dizzying array of bright colours fill the screen, dancing in a circular pattern accompanied by a loud electrical buzz._

74. EXT. SANCTUARY OUTSKIRTS, FLATS – DAY

_A large truck speeds away from the still besieged Sanctuary._

75. INT. SANCTUARY OUTSKIRTS, TRUCK – DAY

_The cabin of the truck is large enough for two rows of seats. In the front a Pandoran soldier drives with Helena in the passengers seat. In the second row Mordecai sits behind the driver, Lilith in the middle and another, slightly smaller soldier behind Helena._

HELENA

I bloody knew it! I knew Atlas would eventually try something like this. They've had their ship sat up there for months, just waiting for an excuse.

_She twists in her seat to look at Lilith and Mordecai_.

HELENA

And it looks like someone finally gave it to them when they brought that ship down.

_She turns back to face the front. Lilith and Mordecai both give each other knowing looks. Rather than reveal the truth to Helena, Mordecai attempts to steer the conversation in a different direction._

MORDECAI

What do you think they want with Pandora?

_Helena shrugs her shoulders._

HELENA

Hell if I know. There's nothing here but dust and Skags.

LILITH

The vault.

_This comes completely out of nowhere and causes both Helena and Mordecai to turn to Lilith._

MORDECAI

Vault?

_Lilith nods her head._

LILITH

I… heard… about it while they were taking me captive. It's meant to be…

HELENA

… A myth. Stay on Pandora long enough and you're bound to hear the story. The vault is a fairy tale. One which has been attracting unwanted explorers and troublemakers to this planet recently.

_Having put a sudden end to that conversation, Helena turns to the driver._

HELENA

How long until we reach New Haven?

DRIVER

Just inside an hour.

_Helena and Lilith both turn their attention back to the landscape in front of them. Mordecai however keeps his attention on Lilith. It's not entirely clear what's going through his mind. After a moment he looks down to her hands, still bound by the glowing blue cuffs. Reaching over, he gently grabs one of her wrists and holds it up, displaying it for Helena_.

MORDECAI

Any idea how we can get these things off?

_Helena turns back and has a look at the cuffs._

HELENA

I've never seen anything like them before. But I know a mechanic in New Haven. If anyone has the tools to remove them, it will be him.

_Lilith appears thankful at the news as she gives Mordecai a small, friendly smile._

76. EXT. WEST COMMONS, DIRT PLAINS – DAY

_The land is pretty featureless save for a lone pole with a replica of the device Tannis and Roland have recently used. The two characters stand nearby. Tannis is reasonably calm and watching Roland, slightly amused as he looks around bewildered and excited, trying to process what's just happened._

ROLAND

I don't believe it. That was amazing. I mean, ships can fly at close to light-speed, sure, but that was something else.

_He turns to face Tannis and strides towards her._

ROLAND

How did you do that? What is that device?

_Putting aside her earlier defensiveness, Tannis appears quite proud of herself as she explains._

TANNIS

It built you.

ROLAND

It built me.

_Roland tone is filled with awe as he says this. However, half a beat later something clicks and his tone changes completely, becoming darker and almost interrogation-like._

ROLAND

It built me!

_Either Tannis doesn't hear the change in tone or she chooses to ignore it as she nods enthusiastically and continues to deliver an explanation._

TANNIS

You're a perfect copy.

ROLAND

But… So… … I'm not Roland?

_Now panic starts to enter into his voice. Tannis is still pretty calm about the situation, although she starts to struggle to answer his questions._

TANNIS

Well… No. Technically you are. An atom for atom replica. The way you move, the way you think. Even your past memories are all there.

ROLAND

But… then… Does this mean there's two of me running around?

TANNIS

Erm… … … …

_This is quite clearly a question which Tannis is very uncomfortable answering. Eventually she just comes out with the simplest answer._

TANNIS

No.

_It takes Roland a few beats to work out the hidden meaning behind Tannis's answer. Suddenly he becomes completely dejected with his situation._

ROLAND

Oh God. Oh no. No, no, no, no, no, no.

_He puts his hands up to his face, trying to block out the world and his current situation._

ROLAND

Don't be true. Please, God.

_Unable to look at Tannis he asks the following questions through his hands, still held up to his face._

ROLAND

Your machine killed me, didn't it?

TANNIS

Well… it… systematically disassembled your body so that it could diagnose… …

_Running herself into a mental blank as she attempts to flower the situation, Tannis decides to simply stop and put it bluntly._

TANNIS

Yeah, you're dead.

_It doesn't seem possible, but Roland's shoulders slump even further._

ROLAND

Oh God. I don't… I can't… No. NO! This isn't on. This is NOT on!

_Regaining his posture, rage floods Roland as he storms towards Tannis._

ROLAND

Nobody. NOBODY... Kills me without my permission!

_Tannis remains remarkably calm as Roland towers above her._

TANNIS

How's that theory worked out for you so far?

_Roland raises both of his hands, looking as though he's about to wrap them around her neck. However, at the last moment he scrunches them both up into fists and spins away, taking a few heavy steps in the opposite direction._

TANNIS

You know, it took me fifteen years to develop this technology. I've been working on a portable version that senses when your heat-beat stops. If that happens, it fires up and 'poof': New you.

ROLAND

Shut up, woman. You really are insane.

TANNIS

Anyway. Pull yourself together. You've still got a task to do.

ROLAND

Do you really think I'm still going to run your little errand after... this. You can forget it.

TANNIS

Oh. And how did you plan on getting to Sanctuary again?

ROLAND

I'll find a way.

TANNIS

The only thing you'll find out there are skags and bandits.

ROLAND

Then I'll ask them for directions.

TANNIS

Well when you've come back to your senses, you'll need to travel over towards those hills, where you'll find a scrap yard. A man named Earl lives there. He's stolen something quite valuable of mine and I want it back.

_She steps back towards the pole with the New-U device._

TANNIS

When you've got it, you can get back to my place by dialing 1379, 4263.

_She punches the numbers into the holographic display as she recites them and grabs one of the handles._

_Roland shakes his head, only half listening, convinced that there is no way he'll ever use the device again. And Tannis's task is already out of the question._

_Tannis smacks her hand over the button, which appears on the holographic panel and gives a very snide…_

TANNIS

Good-day!

_An electrical hum can be heard as a pale blue light seems to emanate from Tannis._

_Suddenly her body explodes, sending chunks of meat and flesh flying in various directions and causing Roland to reel back as he watches, wide eyed, trying, but failing, not to imagine that happening to his own body back in Tannis's house._

_Trying to shake the image from his head, Roland looks around and quickly surveys the landscape. Cliffs with only a few openings encase the plains, most a good few hours walk away._

_The only nearby opening is in the direction Tannis pointed. Shaking his head, Roland looks up at the sky and says, to no-one in particular…_

ROLAND

I should have listened to Marcus. Why the hell didn't I listen to Marcus! I bet Brick isn't having half the amount of problems.

77. EXT. FYRESTONE OUTSKIRTS, TK BAHA'S HUT – DAY

_Brick makes his way up a low rise, the small settlement of fyrestone still visible behind him. As he makes his way towards his destination, a shotgun blast suddenly rings out, causing him to stop._

_Another blast is heard and a patch of dust is ripped out from the ground directly in front of Brick._

_A bit further up the rise, TK Baha waves his shotgun around from his deck chair and screams out._

TK BAHA

You dammed, dirty skags wont be getting me again. Git off ma lawn!

_He fires his shotgun again, not really aiming at anything._

BRICK

Stop! Don't shoot!

_TK stops waving his shotgun around and turns his head in the direction of Brick. The opaque goggles covering his eyes as well as the way he erratically moves his head around, only pointing it in Brick general direction, instantly gives away his lack of vision. He leans forwards._

TK BAHA

What! But you're not a skag. Why the hell didn't you say so? Your smell says otherwise.

_Brick seems slightly confused and tilts his head just enough so he can take a quick sniff of his underarm. Regardless of what he smells, Brick jogs the rest of the way up the rise ending up right in front of TK._

TK BAHA

So what brings a stranger like yourself all the way out here?

BRICK

Marcus sent me.

_Suddenly TK whips up his shotgun and directs it, at point blank range, towards Brick's chest. His voice becomes threatening._

TK BAHA

Who sent you?

BRICK

Who? No-one. He…

_Suddenly TK bursts out laughing. He lowers the shotgun and lays it across his lap. Looking down, Brick noticed one of his legs is a wooden stump._

TK BAHA

Bah hahaha. You should have seen the look on your face. Come on in boy. I think I still have some scotch lying around somewhere.

_TK indicates towards his hut with the shotgun before using a stick to push himself out of his deck chair. Leaving the stick by the chair he limps over and stands next to the door. Brick follows cautiously behind. At the door TK turns back to Brick._

TK BAHA

Well. Come on. Hurry up. Before the skags come and take my other leg.

_Having said that, he spins back towards the hut and walks straight into a piece of wall right next to the open door._


	9. Monster in the Closet

Insert obligatory soppy scene. Actually, I've been looking forwards to getting into this chapter for quite a while. It covers quite a few beats for both Lilith and Mordecai and changes their focus to prepare for the later half of the story. It would be fair to say it was a real juggling act to try and explore this relationship while still staying true to their characters. It took a few drafts to find a balance I was satisfied with. But I'll let you guys be the judge, so once more, I hope you enjoy this latest chapter.

* * *

78. EXT. NEW HAVEN, MAIN PAVILLION – DAY

_The truck holding MORDECAI, LILITH and HELENA pulls through a makeshift arch, marking one of the entrances into New Haven. Kicking up a small cloud of dirt, it comes to a stop in front of a medium sized shed. Both of the roller shutters are closed._

79. INT. NEW HAVEN, SCOOTERS WORKSHOP – DAY

_An Out-runner, lies on its side inside the darkened shed. A decent sized fuel tank can be seen on the underside of the vehicle letting droplets of petrol fall to the ground from a small circular opening about half way up one of its sides. As the car rocks gently, a low slosh indicates that the tank still has a reasonable amount of fuel in it._

_A thin pipe is slotted into the hole in the petrol tank and a blowtorch is raised to the join, the user clearly not discouraged by the flammable and possibly explosive substance he's allowing the flames to lick over._

_After a beat, one of the roller doors at the front of the shed is pulled up, allowing a bright stream of light to invade the mechanics workspace._

_SCOOTER pulls the blowtorch away from the Out-runner and turns to face the door, pulling off his goggles as his pupils contract to allow him to see in the bright light._

_Stood in the opening is Helena, with Mordecai and Lilith just behind her. She steps into the shed._

HELENA

Scooter. We need your help.

_Scooter turns the blowtorch off but doesn't move towards the intruders in any great hurry._

SCOOTER

Jesus, woman! Didn't no-one ever teach you about how to knock. I almost welded my arm to this bike.

_At this point Mordecai enters the shed, first looking at Scooter and then turning his attention to the upturned Out-runner. He indicates towards it and asks Scooter…_

MORDECAI

That yours?

_Scooter immediately seems offended at the idea._

SCOOTER

Hey? This ugly piece of shit? Hell no, man. My girl's sat over in that direction.

_He indicates towards another Out-runner sat upright at the far end of the shed. It's practically identical to the one lying in front of them._

SCOOTER

She may not be the prettiest gal at the dance, but get her started and she purrs like a kitten. She'll put out for you as well if you ask her nice…

_At this point Helena steps forwards, grabbing Lilith's cuffs, pulling her forwards as she does._

HELENA

There'll be time for you two motor heads to talk cars later.

_She holds Lilith's cuffs up for Scooter to see._

HELENA

Scooter. Do you think you can remove these?

_Scooter moves towards the trio and stops in front of Lilith. He grabs the glowing cuffs from Helena and examines them up close._

SCOOTER

It doesn't look like anything a good saw can't get through, but them sparkies inside look like they might be troublesome.

_Mordecai steps forwards and gives the cuffs another look._

MORDECAI

It looks like whatever that current is, it's coming from the centre tube connecting the cuffs. If you cut it right down the middle there, it might take out the power source before it becomes too dangerous.

SCOOTER

Or I could frazzle the young lady… and possibly myself.

_At this point, Mordecai looks up at Lilith, looking for her opinion._

MORDECAI

Lilith?

_She returns the gaze. Determination and a renewed hope are evident in her eyes._

LILITH

I want them off.

_Nodding in acknowledgement, Scooter beckons towards a workbench pushed against the back wall._

SCOOTER

Alright then. This way.

_Scooter moves towards the bench followed by Lilith and Mordecai. Helena does not follow, instead calling after them as they move away._

HELENA

I have some things I need to sort out quickly, so I'll leave you with Scooter. Come see me when you're done, I'll try to see if I can find somewhere for you to stay tonight.

MORDECAI

Thanks.

_He stops briefly and looks back as Helena steps out of the shed._

_Scooter and Lilith reach the workbench where a circular saw is attached on the right hand side. Grabbing the handle above the saw, Scooter pulls it down on its hinge. As it lowers, the saw automatically powers up with an almost deafening roar and hits the wooden table, lining up perfectly with a small nick created from previous uses._

_Scooter raises the saw, which turns itself off about half way up, and gives Lilith an encouraging look._

SCOOTER

So what did a pretty gal like yourself have to get up to for the Lance to go all bondage on you?

LILITH

I'm…

_Before she can answer, Mordecai strides up to the workbench and cuts her off._

MORDECAI

Wrong time, wrong place.

_He looks over to Lilith._

MORDECAI

You ready?

_She nods and moves in front of the saw. Mordecai stands to her left and Scooter on her right as she lays her arm down on either side of the mark in the table, positioning the centre of the cuffs over it._

_Scooter reaches up and grabs the circular saw's handle._

SCOOTER

Don't go pulling out like an limp teen now. Otherwise your wrists will have bigger problems than some shiny bracelets.

_He lowers the saw half way down causing the blade to spin loudly as it activates. He stops the blade an inch above the cuffs, quickly making sure that everything lines up properly. Stealing a quick glance towards Lilith, he adjusts his grip so as to avoid bumping her when he lowers the blade._

_Lilith takes a deep breath, her hands noticeably shaking, but remaining firmly in position._

_Finally, Scooter pushes down on the handle, putting all his weight into the movement as he tries to get through the cuffs as quick as possible._

_At first, cuffs catch on the blade and yank Lilith forwards, her face coming uncomfortably close to the machine._

_Seeing this, Mordecai leaps forwards and catches her shoulders, adding his weight to hers as they pull against the blade._

_After a beat, the blade suddenly drops and slices neatly through the tube connecting the two cuffs. Lilith's arms fly open and she stumbles backwards with Mordecai as the resistance they were fighting against disappears._

_As this occurs, Scooter lifts the saw and the room goes quiet._

_Gently pushing himself away from Lilith, Mordecai examines the smile that creeps across her face as she holds her now free arms up. The cuffs are still on her wrists, but are now separated and have stopped glowing._

_Scooter takes a step towards them wearing a victorious smile._

SCOOTER

Well. You can thank m…

_A loud electrical crack cuts him off as a flash of electricity jumps between the two cuffs. A glowing blue beam leaps from where they were both cut and meets in front of Lilith. From this connection, surges of electricity engulf her body, bouncing off of every part of her._

_Mordecai and Scooter both leap back in surprise and try to put as much distance as they can between themselves and Lilith._

MORDECAI

JESUS!

_Electrical surges emanate from the main cord and strike nearby objects, sending out a deafening crack every time they appear. The excessive currents running through Lilith's body cause her to arch her back violently as the muscles in her arms and legs spasm wildly._

_Her face contorts in a silent scream, unheard over the noise of the mini lightning strikes coming from the damaged cuffs._

_Mordecai eyes widen in fear as one of them catches something flammable causing a small explosion._

_Lilith's outstretched fingers slowly curl into a fist. Her finger nails bating into the palm of her hand causing some blood to trickle out._

_As suddenly as it began, the blinding sparks vanish and Lilith falls forwards, breathing heavily, but amazingly still alive._

_Having spent their energy, the cuffs around her wrists unlatch themselves and simply fall away, bouncing across the ground._

_As Lilith slowly finds her feet, Mordecai cautiously approaches her._

MORDECAI

Lilith?

_She pulls herself up and wearily looks over towards his voice. She struggles to find him as she blinks furiously, attempting to clear her eyes from the blinding lights._

MORDECAI

Are you Okay?

_Lilith quickly runs her eyes down her body, looking for any injuries._

LILITH

Yeah… I'm… shaken, but fine.

MORDECAI

How do you feel?

_He manages to reach her and gently puts a hand on her shoulder, quickly testing it first to make sure he isn't shocked._

LILITH

I feel…

_She pauses as an alien sensation washes over her. She can't quite place what it is._

LILITH

I feel different. Weird.

_As she says this, Scooter emerges from the cover he dove behind earlier. Not entirely sure how to react to her answer, Mordecai tries a different angle of approach._

MORDECAI

Erm… OK… I tell you what; I'm thinking of a number between one and one hundred.

_Lilith looks up at him but says nothing. She stares into his eyes as though trying to bore her way through them into his brain. As the moments pass she remains silent and a wave of confusion enters her face._

MORDECAI

One and ten?

_Lilith shakes her head, partially to answer his question, and partially in denial._

LILITH

I'm not getting anything.

MORDECAI

One and two?

LILITH

I'M NOT GETTING ANYTHING!

_She turns away from him and looks into the distance. Her eyes dart rapidly back and forth as she desperately attempts to fight off the wave of confusion and fear._

_Scooter stands next to Lilith on the opposite side to Mordecai. He looks past her towards the hunter._

SCOOTER

What does that mean?

MORDECAI

It means she might have lost her powers.

_He turns his attention back to Lilith._

MORDECAI

How about your vanishing trick? Have you tried that one yet?

_Lilith slowly shakes her head._

MORDECAI

Go on then.

_Slowly nodding in acknowledgement, Lilith closes her eyes and concentrates for a moment._

_She disappears, but far from the silent, non-intrusive disappearance she made earlier in the piece; as she vanishes a powerful shockwave blasts out from her body, lifting both Mordecai and Scooter into the air, flinging them across the room._

_Mordecai hits the shed wall and collapses onto the floor as the air is knocked from his lungs._

_He takes a moment to recover before picking himself up and mumbling to himself._

MORDECAI

That's new.

_Across the other side of the roof, Scooter untangles himself from what is now a pile of scrap metal. He calls over to Mordecai._

SCOOTER

Man. You didn't ever tell me your girlfriend was a Siren.

MORDECAI

She's not my girlfriend.

_He looks around, waiting for Lilith to reappear. After a moment he tries calling out._

MORDECAI

Lilith?

_A clang is heard as an invisible Lilith trips over a loose piece of metal. Her footsteps can be heard as she runs out of the shed._

MORDECAI

Lilith!

_Mordecai prepares to take after her but is stopped as Scooter puts a hand on his shoulder._

SCOOTER

Leave her, man. She's just lost the tools she's relied on her whole life to survive. Give her time. Hell, I remember when I came off my mama's nipple. I was devastated.

_Mordecai looks over, giving Scooter a look, part confusion, part disgust._

80. EXT. SCRAP YARD, CRAZY EARL'S HUT – DAY

_A small shack sits pushed up against a low cliff. The shack looks as though it has just been thrown together using whatever pieces of scrap metal happened to be lying around at the time. A thick door with a large padlock, which hangs curiously on the outside, is situated in front of a doormat._

_Roland is revealed walking in the direction of the shack. He is mumbling to himself._

ROLAND

Alright then Tannis. If this item of yours is so valuable, I might be able to use it to barter my way off of this rock.

_He strides up to the door and knocks twice. Scuffling can be heard from the other side. After a moment a small slot opens near the top of the door, revealing a small portion of CRAZY EARL'S face._

CRAZY EARL

What do you want? Who sent you?

ROLAND

No-one sent me.

CRAZY EARL

Well piss off then!

_The slot is slammed shut._

_Roland takes a moment to assess the previous conversation before knocking again. This time there is no movement heard from the other side. Roland knocks a second time. Still nothing._

_Finally on the third knock the slider is opened again. Before Earl can say anything, Roland butts in._

ROLAND

Patricia Tannis sent me here.

_Earl pauses for a beat._

CRAZY EARL

Ah crap. I knew this day was coming.

ROLAND

Apparently you've taken something of hers. She'd like it back.

_Again Earl pauses and seems to be considering the request. Finally he speaks again._

CRAZY EARL

Fine. You can have them.

_Earl disappears from view and can be heard on the other side of the shack, moving items around. Roland glances around the area, keeping an eye out for any trouble. After a moment Earl can be heard returning to the door._

CRAZY EARL

Here.

_He shoves his hand through the opening, holding an item which is hidden from the audience for the moment._

_Roland looks at the item, confusion crossing his face. After a beat he plucks it out of Earl's hand and holds it up, revealing a pair of woman's underpants, white with pink hearts covering them._

_Roland turns his focus back to Earl._

ROLAND

I don't think these are what she was talking about. She made it sound like a bit more… valuable.

CRAZY EARL

Ohhh. You're after the other thing?

ROLAND

Yes. That… thing.

_Roland gives Earl a smile as he passes the undies back through the hole in the door._

CRAZY EARL

OK. That thing… … … I don't have it.

ROLAND

You what?

CRAZY EARL

It's not here. Flynt took it from me some weeks back.

_Roland closes his eyes and looks towards the sky. The expression on his face is pretty clear: There seems to be no end in sight in his quest to get off the planet._

_After a moment he quickly recomposes himself and brings his face closer to the hole in the door._

ROLAND

And where abouts around here does Flynt frequent?

_Earl's eyes widen in shock. Its not so much the question as the intent hidden behind it._

CRAZY EARL

You're crazy!

_Roland nods and lifts his arm, holding his index and middle finger about an inch apart, silent telling Earl; 'just a little bit.'_

81. INT. NEW HAVEN, MORDECAI'S ROOM – DAY

_Mordecai stands in the middle of a small room. The only objects are a bed and a small table pushed up against it. The rest of the room is empty, which makes it appear more spacious then it really is._

_Helena deposits a key into Mordecai's hand._

HELENA

You should try to get some sleep. It probably doesn't feel it with the sun still high in the sky, but it is quite late.

_She turns to leave the room. Mordecai calls after her._

MORDECAI

Thank you.

_Helena quickly turns to face him and nods in acknowledgement._

HELENA

Just as long as you know, I'm kicking you out tomorrow.

_With that, she turns and leaves._

_Mordecai inspects the room and slowly moves over to the bed, contemplating Helena's suggestion. As he reaches it he hears the rooms only door creak open. Turning around he sees Lilith stood in the doorway. She gives a small smile._

LILITH

Hi.

MORDECAI

Hey. How are you?

_Lilith steals a quick glance down at her wrists. Shrugging to Mordecai she steps into the room._

LILITH

Grateful; that I'm still in one piece. I never actually thanked you for saving my life.

_She slowly moves towards Mordecai. In an attempt to break the sombre mood, he puts on a slightly light-hearted tone._

MORDECAI

It was nothing. I saw a damsel in distress and I leapt into action.

_Amused by his comment, Lilith plays along._

LILITH

Oh. I bet you're a real hit with all the damsel's.

_She puts a hand on his shoulder. At first Mordecai thinks she's still joking around, however, as she suddenly pushes herself against him and raises her other hand just below his cheek he realises that her actions are deadly serious._

_Quickly raising his right hand he grabs her arm and removes her hand from his face._

MORDECAI

Don't…

_His eyes dart around as he searches for an excuse. Lilith looks at him confused. As he lowers her arm, his resolve suddenly strengthens as he finds the excuse he was looking for._

MORDECAI

…think… I've forgotten what you are.

_This immediately puts Lilith in a sour mood._

LILITH

Right. Of course. Your petty racism towards Sirens.

_She glares at Mordecai, who says nothing._

LILITH

I'm barely half a Siren now anyway. I might as well still be wearing those fucking things.

_She swings her arm and throws a small blast of energy into a nearby wall to emphasise her point. There's no damage done to the wall._

_Mordecai opens his mouth as though to say something. Lilith waits for a moment but he eventually closes it, unable to find the words._

_She shakes her head in disgust._

LILITH

There's one thing I just don't understand. If you are really that much against the existence of my kind, why did you save my life? Why did you help me at all?

_Mordecai finally finds his voice._

MORDECAI

Are you saying you wouldn't have?

LILITH

What? Help someone I hate?

_Her tone answers the question. Mordecai is now starting to become exhausted and annoyed with the direction the conversation has steered. He doesn't even bother hiding this._

MORDECAI

Well there's an answer for you: I saved your life because I am better than you are. Because it's what a HUMAN would have done.

_Lilith cringes uncomfortably at the way he emphasises the word 'human'. She steps right up to him. For a moment it looks as though she's about to attack him. Instead, she softly says…_

LILITH

You are willing to go out of your way to see me as a monster, aren't you?

_She turns and begins to storm out of the room. Mordecai calls after her._

MORDECAI

I don't have to go far.

LILITH

Screw you!

_She slams the door behind her._

_Mordecai watches the door for a moment before dropping back to sit on the bed and letting out a disappointed sigh as the stupidity of what he's just done washes over him. He puts a hand up to his face and rubs his eyes before leaning backwards and resting his head on the soft surface. He lies there for a moment, staring off into space._

82. EXT. COUNTRY FARM, HOUSE VERANDA – DAY

_A stag like creature can be seen through the scope of a rifle. While the animal appears a bit like a deer at first glance there are a few differences that make it alien, the most obvious being a extra pair of legs. The antlers are quite large and the creature is more of a deep red than the brown fur of the Earth animal. The creature dips its head and tugs out a clump of lush green grass._

_Someone pulls the rifle trigger but the gun clicks empty. At the same time a young girls voice, no older than six or seven rings out._

AISHA

BANG!

_Aisha lowers the rifle scope from her eye and looks up at a much younger, shaved Mordecai. He still wears his hair in a pony-tail, but it barely passes his shoulders. Giving her dad a large, beaming smile she eagerly asks…_

AISHA

Did I get it daddy? Did I get it?

_Mordecai exaggerates looking out into the distance._

MORDECAI

Nope. It's still standing.

AISHA

Naww. But I aimed it and everyth…

_As Aisha speaks she playfully swings the rifle towards Mordecai, not realising what she's doing. Mordecai yells out and shoots an arm out to catch the barrel of the gun before she manages to point it at him._

MORDECAI

WHOAH!

_Aisha's eyes widen as she realises she's done something wrong._

_As he speaks, Mordecai gently takes the gun from her._

MORDECAI

Never, ever, point this at another human being.

AISHA

But I thought you took all the bullets out.

MORDECAI

Never hurts to be too careful.

_He reaches down beside him and pulls out a round, which he loads into the rifle._

MORDECAI

The only thing that this should ever be used for…

_He raises the rifle to his eye, but at the last second turns his head towards his daughter, giving her a knowing look._

_Seeing this she raises both her hands and covers her ears as hard as she can._

_Mordecai looks back through the scope and fires off a shot._

_In the distance, the stag-like creature falls to the ground._

_Mordecai lowers the gun and looks back down at his daughter._

MORDECAI

…is catching dinner.

83. INT. MORDECAI'S HOUSE, BEDROOM – NIGHT

_Mordecai lies in bed next to his wife. It's a nice, neatly decorated room which the King size being the main feature._

_A soft explosion can be heard faintly in the distance._

_Mordecai stirs and shifts around. Suddenly a much louder and closer explosion causes him jump up._

84. EXT. COUNTRY FARM, FRONT YARD – NIGHT

_Mordecai holds the rifle tight as he races out of his house and scans the scene outside, squinting his eyes to see through the darkness._

_A fair distance away the glow of a burning house can be seen and above it, in the sky a number a large lights give away the position of reasonable sized ship._

_Mordecai hears a noise coming from the house._

AISHA

Daddy!

_Mordecai turns around and spots his daughter standing in the door. He yells back._

MORDECAI

Go inside. Stay in the house.

_Mordecai's wife appears in the doorway and pulls Aisha back in, closing the door. Mordecai turns back towards the scene, looking for the ship. He's distracted by a soft scream coming from his left._

_He turns towards the noise and spots a dark figure running through a clearing on the other side of a large field. Mordecai raises the rifle and uses its scope to get a better look._

_As he watches the magnified image the figure is suddenly lifted into the air and held about fifteen feet off the ground. His arm and legs are both flailing about as he attempts, futilely to escape the supernatural hold. The same power forces the man to bend backwards. Although clearly resisting, the mans spine bends further and further until it finally gives in and snaps, the mans body folding neatly in half._

_Looking down through the scope, Mordecai scans the ground for the cause of this. It doesn't take him long to find a female figure with her hand held in the air. She makes a flicking motion and the man's body is thrown sideways, disappearing out of sight._

_The woman stands motionless for a moment. Suddenly her head flicks towards Mordecai and despite the distance between them, and the dark, she stares straight through the scope into Mordecai's eyes. A moment later she vanishes into thin air._

_Mordecai pulls the scope away from his eye for a moment before lifting it back up and swinging it left and right, searching for the woman._

_His attention is suddenly stolen by a deep, booming explosion as the ship from before fires two large rounds sending a nearby house up in flames._

_Looking towards the ball of flame Mordecai's eyes widen as he realises that the ship is now a damn sight closer than it was before._

_He turns back towards his house and jumps back as the woman appears out of nowhere, putting herself between him and his house._

_She flicks out with her arm and a force of energy propels Mordecai backwards. He lands on his back, only just keeping a hold of his gun._

_Still on his back he yanks the gun up and doesn't even bother raising it to his eye before firing off a round towards the woman._

_As he does the woman; the Siren, raises her hand and sends out a small but powerful burst of energy, enough to slow the bullet down so that she can comfortably catch it in the same hand. She tosses it to one side._

_Mordecai fires two more rounds but the Siren simply flicks her hands in front of her, seemingly batting the bullets away._

_She holds out her hand and Mordecai's rifle is torn from his hands, flying through the air towards her. As it nears her, she makes a circular motion with her other hand and the rifle tears itself apart, becoming nothing more than chunks of metal on the ground._

_Mordecai pushes himself off the ground and looks just to his right as the ship fires on and destroys another nearby house, the massive flames lighting up the area where he and the Siren are stood._

_As the flames still linger another force of energy hits Mordecai and he's thrown backwards._

_The Siren strides forwards towards Mordecai, who is reaching into his jacket._

_A large smile covers her face and she chuckles as he pulls out a large hunting knife and springs back to his feet._

_Mordecai rushes towards the Siren and swings the knife. She sidesteps it. Swinging back and aiming high, he's amazed as she perfectly predicts his move and ducks under the knife. Three more swings prove equally as useless. As Mordecai recovers from the third, the knife is flicked out of his hands._

_Mortified he takes a step backwards. The Siren is still positioned between him and the house. Mordecai looked past the Siren. _

_Complete and total terror enters his face as he realises that the ship is virtually right on top of his house._

_He looks down at the house and spots a light coming through one of the windows. Pushed up against the glass of the window are Aisha and his wife, looking out at Mordecai. The ship is approaching from behind the house, so that they cannot see it._

_Ignoring the Siren, Mordecai belts at full speed towards his family, yelling at the top of his lungs._

MORDECAI

GET OUT! GET OUT OF TH…

_Before he can finish he is hit by another blast and thrown to the side. He quickly picks himself up and races towards the house._

_A new, second Siren materialises in front on him and lifts her hand, slapping him across the face, sending him stumbling to the ground._

_Trying to keep him momentum, he crawls a few feet but is stopped as a third Siren appears before him._

_A fourth, fifth and sixth all spring into existence, surrounding Mordecai._

_The third Siren makes a scooping motion with her hand and Mordecai is lifted into the air, much like the man was earlier._

_Mordecai struggles against the invisible bonds, screaming at the top of his lungs. He looks down towards the house._

_Aisha is still visible in the lit window however as he watches, his wife pulls her away, deeper into the house._

_A loud noise emanates from the ship above them._

_Time seems to stop as Mordecai continues to scream towards the house from the air._

_Two large projectiles are ejected from the bottom of the ship and hit the house._

_For a brief moment, nothing happens._

_Suddenly the house is replaced by a raging inferno. Shrapnel is thrown everywhere and the area is completely lit up as the massive ball of fire rises into the air._

_Mordecai is caught by surprise as his bonds are released and he falls to the earth. His earlier determination to get back to his family brought the Sirens too close to the explosion and while none of them are fatally injured, Mordecai is no longer a major concern._

_Tears welling in his eyes, Mordecai hits the ground hard, but jumps up again almost immediately. He targets a nearby Siren and slams his fist into her face, a nasty crack sounding as the action shatters his fingers._

_The Siren falls to the ground and he turns his attention to the other one still stood up, taking her head in both his hands and using the last of his strength to twist, turning it completely backwards as her neck loudly snaps._

_Ignoring the rest of the Sirens on the ground he turns to the wreckage that used to be his farm and family._

85. INT. NEW HAVEN, MORDECAI'S ROOM – DAY

_Mordecai opens his eyes and shoots up out of the bed. He's covered in sweat and is panting heavily after the dream. Tears threaten to escape his eyes but he pushes them back._

_He reaches into the pocket of his new vest and pulls out a small device. It's pear shaped with only two buttons near the top and a very small rectangular screen._

_He rubs his thumb over the device and contemplates something._

_After a moment he shoves the device back in his pocket and gives his face, especially his eyes, a quickly wipe with his hands, before standing up and striding out of the room._

86. INT. NEW HAVEN, LILITH'S ROOM – DAY

_Lilith's room is slightly bigger and comes with a mirror, hanging off of one of the walls as well as a second small table, pushed against the wall not too far from the door. She's facing away from the entrance, lost in thought._

_Mordecai walks through the open door, unnoticed._

MORDECAI

What do you know about the vault?

_Lilith spins around, startled. Upon seeing Mordecai, she immediately drops back into her foul mood._

LILITH

Here to insult me again, are you?

_Mordecai lets out an annoyed sigh and slowly shakes his head in exasperation._

MORDECAI

Just tell me what you know.

LILITH

Why? Don't you have other 'human' girls to go and rescue?

MORDECAI

Think of it as a way of earning my trust.

_Lilith scoffs at this._

LILITH

Earn your trust? I'm not really seeing the advantage of that right now. Why is it so important to me that I have your trust?

_Mordecai barely pauses. Reaching into his vest he pulls out a pistol and aims it at Lilith. Eye's widening she takes a step backwards, very clearly caught by surprise at Mordecai's actions._

_Mordecai delivers his next line slowly, making sure that every word sinks in._

MORDECAI

Because over the past few years, I have developed a very effective method for dealing with those that I can't.

_He steps forwards, still pointing the gun at Lilith's chest._

LILITH

You wouldn't!

MORDECAI

Your powers really are gone, aren't they?

_Lilith stiffens, Now over her surprise. She glares at Mordecai trying to read his face, and clearly missing her former abilities to read his mind._

LILITH

So I'm your hostage now, is that it? You're going to torture me, extract the information and then shoot me?

_Mordecai's finger tightens on the trigger, threatening to send a bullet through Lilith._

LILITH

Who exactly was it in this room you thought was the monster?

_There's a beat where no-one moves. _

_Throwing his arm down he lets out a breath he didn't even realise he was holding and spins away from Lilith, almost falling forwards towards the small desk and putting his weight onto his hands as he leans against it._

_The gun drops next to his right hand on the desk. Pain is spread across his face, although he stops short of actually tearing up._

_Lilith moves around behind him, her temperament softening noticeably._

LILITH

I don't know exactly what you went through ten years ago, but I am NOT one of the Siren's that took your family from you. Hell, I was only thirteen back then. On the run, trying to get away from the war.

_Mordecai turns his head and slowly rotates himself to look at Lilith._

LILITH

I'll tell you what you want to know. You saved my life, it's the least I can do. In fact, I'll go even better: I'll help you find the vault.

MORDECAI

You'll help me? Why…

LILITH

Think of it as a way for me to earn your trust. But you have got to stop looking at me as… not human.

_There's a very long pause as Mordecai reflects on the situation and Lilith's offer. Finally he looks up._

MORDECAI

Where do we begin?

87. EXT. NEW HAVEN, MAIN PAVILLION – DAY

_Mordecai and Lilith stride across the dirt ground headed towards Scooters workshop._

LILITH

I first… … "heard"… about the Pandora vault when I snuck into an Atlas base on Prometheus. Despite what the stories say, Atlas actually got to that vault first. Some kind of bargain was struck between them and Dahl, but anyway… Dahl found evidence of a second vault on Pandora. Wanting to get there first this time, they sent one of their best scientists here to find as much information as she could. Fast-forward five years and by the time Dahl finally pulled out, she was claiming that she knew the exact location of the vault.

MORDECAI

And they ignored her?

LILITH

Well, by that stage, she was also claiming to be in a close relationship with her echo recorder.

MORDECAI

Right. And I'm guessing Atlas somehow caught wind of this?

LILITH

Yes. But she refused to talk to them.

MORDECAI

And they say loyalty is dead. So, we find this scientist, force her to give us the location of the vault, hope the lock isn't too hard to pick and then halve the treasure and split before we kill each other.

LILITH

Sounds like a plan.

_The two reach Scooters shed. Mordecai reaches down and pulls the roller door up. A stream of light hits Scooter, lying on a small mat on the floor._

_He squints as his eyes struggle to adjust to the sudden lighting change._

88. INT. NEW HAVEN, SCOOTERS SHED – DAY

_Mordecai and Lilith walk into the shed as Scooter sits up._

SCOOTER

We're closed. Come back in the morning.

_The two reach Scooter and stop, looking down at him._

MORDECAI

We need a ride.

SCOOTER

Where's y'all going?

_Mordecai looks over to Lilith for the answer._

LILITH

Fyrestone.

MORDECAI

What's the best way to get there?

SCOOTER

You take the pass over the mountains, but there's no way back that way. Only return route is through the valley, and right now, that's prime bandit territory. I personally can't think of no reason for any sane person to head out that way right now.

_Mordecai reaches out a hand and helps Scooter up._

LILITH

We're looking for Patricia Tannis.

_Scooter looks over to Lilith for a moment, then back to Mordecai. Mordecai raises his eyebrows and gives an uncomfortable smile, indicating that Lilith is the one calling the shots at the moment._


	10. More than a little insane

Things are beginning to crack along now that we're in the later half of the story. The action scene here was initially meant to be a lot bigger, but I deliberately toned it back so that it didn't overpower the battle in the following chapter. It's a challenge making sure that each set-piece amps it up from the previous while also pushing the narrative along. Just quietly, one of my favorite gags appears in this chapter as well. Anyway, really hope you enjoy.

* * *

89. EXT. KROM'S CANYON, CANYON INTERSECTION – DAY

_Roland stands in the middle of a deep canyon. The path he has entered from has split and veers off in two separate directions._

_Looking to his right, he sees a large Spiderant pull itself out from the dirt just over a hundred metres further down the thin chasm._

_Roland watches the large creature idly for a moment._

_As he watches, four young Spiderant's emerge next to the large male creature._

_Roland turns his head to the left and looks down the other branch of the canyon. The canyon winds around a corner a few hundred meters down._

_Stealing a quick glance back at the Spiderants, Roland allows a small smile to cross his face as he focuses on the left hand branch._

90. EXT. KROM'S CANYON – BANDIT CAMP ENTRANCE – DAY

_Two bandits are sat on old wooden chairs, which look like they could collapse at any moment. One of the bandits is dressed up in full armour (Franz) while the other wears only a pair of slacks identifying him as a psycho (Hanz)._

_Between the bandits is a small wooden table with a chessboard. Franz moves one of his pieces to check Hanz._

FRANZ

Check.

_Hanz grabs his rook, which is sat a few spaces above the Bandits king and moves it downwards as though it's a castle, taking the King._

HANZ

Ah ha. Too bad, I win.

_Franz slaps a hand over his face and shakes his head in annoyance._

FRANZ

No you haven't. That piece can only move diagonally.

HANZ

That piece will do whatever the hell I tell it to do.

_As Hanz is rebutting, Franz's attention is stolen by something further down the canyon._

_Having finished his sentence, Hanz looks up at Franz, before following his friend's gaze down the Canyon to reveal Roland walking calmly towards the pair._

HANZ

Well, well. We have a visitor.

_The pair stands up and stride towards Roland, quickly closing the gap. Hanz pulls out a revolver while Franz holds a rifle. Roland pulls up his hands to show he's unarmed._

HANZ

Where's your weapon, stranger?

ROLAND

Dropped it. I didn't really have a chance to go back and look for it.

_Franz and Hanz look at each other briefly before turning back to Roland._

HANZ

So you've waltzed up to our front door… … unarmed?

FRANZ

It'll make killing him easier.

_Hanz turns his head towards Franz._

HANZ

Well that's a bit rich coming from you after last time.

_All of a sudden, Roland's presence is completely ignored as the Bandit's dig into each other._

FRANZ

Hey! How was I supposed to know that his knife would also shoot bullets?

HANZ

Did the big hole in the front not tip you off?

FRANZ

You didn't know it would happen either.

HANZ

Did to. I was waiting to see if you'd do anything about it.

FRANZ

And you thought perhaps a warning would be wasted on me?

ROLAND

Ah, guys.

_Simultaneously, they both turn to face Roland once more._

ROLAND

I'm looking for Flynt.

FRANZ

Well you're too late. He's gone.

HANZ

Yeah. The Baron took off a while ago.

_Roland's face drops at this new setback_.

ROLAND

Of course he has.

_Rolling his eyes he dwells on the situation for a moment and searches for a new plan. The annoyance evident in his voice he nonchalantly quips…_

ROLAND

I don't suppose you know what he had in his suitcase?

_Thick as they are, the Bandits take this as an actual question._

FRANZ

Guns, I would imagine.

HANZ

And that nice suit he sometimes wears.

FRANZ

Perhaps a pair of handcuffs.

HANZ

Oooh. Kinky.

FRANZ

He's going to see someone he's been looking for, for a very long time.

_There's a beat of silence. Hanz glances over at Franz._

HANZ

Should we be telling him this?

FRANZ

I don't think it's a secret.

HANZ

But we don't really know who he is yet.

_As the pair continues to argue, Roland takes a step backwards._

ROLAND

OK. You know what; I'm just gonna…

_Roland turns around to leave, not expecting the plank of wood that smacks him in the face, causing him to spin back to face the two Bandits'. Eye's rolling back into his skull, Roland wavers for a moment before dropping to the ground._

_Giving Roland a quick glance the two bandits both redirect their attention to the massive, muscled Bruiser who was stood behind Roland, holding the thick plank of wood, which has just knocked him out._

_After a moment Hanz turns back to his friend and holds out his fist, inviting him to a round of Rock, Paper, Scissors._

HANZ

Loser has to carry him.

FRANZ

Best of three?

_They both pump their fists twice, but the scene cuts before the winner of the game is revealed._

91. EXT. KROMS CANYON, BANDIT CAMP – DAY

_Some way further up the canyon lies the Bandit camp, filling the last few hundred meters of the canyon before the walls simply end and the floor drops away in a sheer cliff. Wooden platforms attached to stone ledges jut out of the sides of the canyon connected to each other by rope bridges. There are three tiers of wooden platforms along both of the canyon walls, with the fourth and highest tier being a large platform, which stretches across the full width of the canyon just before it ends._

_Its on this highest platform that Roland has been placed. He moves around slightly, beginning to come to._

_A hand reaches down and lightly slaps him on the cheek._

HANZ

Wakey, wakey. Hands off snaky.

_Roland's eyes wearily open and he groans at the sight of Hanz and Franz standing over him. Swinging his arm over his body, he rolls onto his stomach preparing to push himself up. As he faces downwards he finds himself looking through a gap in the wooden planks. Suddenly realising how high up he is, Roland quickly jumps onto his hands and knee's letting out a yell._

_Franz gives Hanz an amused smile._

FRANZ

I don't think he likes heights.

_As he says the following, Roland shakily pulls himself onto his feet._

ROLAND

After recent experiences, I'm not a fan.

_He stands up facing the duo. He takes a moment to rub the side of his head where he was smacked._

ROLAND

Who hit me?

_He stares accusingly at the two Bandits. Suddenly a voice rings out from behind him._

KROM

So you're the Atlas soldier Flynt was so interested in.

_Roland spins around towards the voice._

_Krom sits on a steel chair behind a machine gun. A tin shelter borders him with a hole facing back into the canyon, which the machine gun can be fired through. The side facing Roland is completely open._

_As Roland turns, Krom stands up and moves forwards, towards Roland. It's at this point that Roland realizes that half a dozen bandits as well as the named characters surround him._

ROLAND

Ex-Atlas. And I doubt there's anything about me that would interest your… … Baron.

KROM

There was enough for him to have you followed.

_Roland begins to look uncomfortable, but keeps his cool._

ROLAND

And yet, when I show up to have a word to him, he's off kidnapping old friends.

KROM

How do you know this?

_Behind Roland, Hanz and Franz give each other worrying looks._

HANZ

See. I knew we shouldn't have told him that. Didn't I say we shouldn't have told him?

_He directs his voice to the other characters who have turned towards him._

HANZ

I did tell him.

_He's referring to Franz. Roland turns back to Krom._

KROM

Seems you've been told more than I expected. What do you know about 'Thor'?

_This time Roland looks stumped._

ROLAND

Big man with a hammer?

HANZ

No. That's Sledge.

FRANZ

Thor is Flynt's ride.

HANZ

Looks like quite a nice ride as well.

FRANZ

And expensive.

HANZ

Tell me about it. Have you seen the rims on that thing?

_A warning stare from Krom quickly shuts the pair up._

_Krom looks back at Roland and smiles menacingly._

KROM

Well. Regardless of how much you know, Flynt already has what he wants. Soon the vault will be in our hands and that knowledge will be useless.

ROLAND

Uh huh. What is it with you guys and this vault?

_Krom ignores the question._

KROM

Hanz!

_This being the first time Hanz has been addressed by name, Roland mishears and holds both his hands up. This only amuses Krom for a brief moment._

ROLAND

Alright. OK. Fine.

KROM

No. Hanz!

HANZ

Yes?

KROM

Take our new friend here and, remove him, from this world.

_Hanz moves forwards to grab Roland and Krom turns his back walking back towards the seat he started on._

ROLAND

Oh good. I never liked this world anyway.

_As Roland finishes his line, he twists his arm out of Hanz's grasp and in the same movement elbows Hanz in the chest, pushing him back while reaching down to his waist and grabbing the revolver out of his holster._

_Spinning back to Krom, he holds up the revolver and pulls the trigger._

_The gun simply clicks and refuses to fire._

_As Krom turns back to face him, Roland tries twice more, before pulling the gun back and giving it a disbelieving look. Facing the barrel towards him he puts the gun to his eye and looks right down the barrel._

_After a moment he lowers the gun and gives a nervous smile to the bandits all now pointing various guns at him._

ROLAND

Just… testing.

_He gently turns back to Hanz and gently slips the gun back into its holster._

ROLAND

You might want to get that looked at.

_Cocking his head slightly, Roland just manages to catch the noise of a trigger being compressed. Immediately reacting, he ducks and the bullet bursts through the air where his head was and embeds itself in Hanz's skull._

_Roland straightens himself up and looks wide-eyed in the direction of the Bandit holding the smoking gun. Behind him, Hanz retains enough life to roll his eyes up, as though attempting to see the hole in his forehead before falling backwards, dead._

_Franz looks at the lifeless body of his best friend and lets out a growl of anger, pointing murderous eyes at Roland._

_Deciding to make the most of the new opening in the circle where Hanz previously stood, Roland bolts. The Bandits open fire only a beat later._

_Ignoring the ladder at the end of the platform, Roland instead makes a diagonal beeline for the inner edge of the platform and leaps in the direction of the third tier platform poking out of the canyon wall._

_Soaring hundreds of meters above the ground while bullets fly around him, he lands on a poorly stacked pile of supply cases on the wooden platform he was aiming for. The pile gives way beneath him and he loses his balance, hitting the ground on his side. Rolling onto his stomach he scrambles forwards on hands and knees for a few meters before using the momentum to pull himself to his feet._

_Behind him, the Bandits divide. Two of them continue to fire from the fourth tier platform. Three head for the ladder leading down to the third tier while the final Bandit as well as Franz attempt the same leap Roland took. Franz makes the jump, however the bandit does not cover the distance and plunges to his death. (Wilhelm scream?)_

_Roland starts for the far edge of the third tier platform with the intentions to jump to the second tier, however as he moves in that direction, four new bandits emerge from a tent situated near that edge and put themselves between Roland and his destination._

_As bullets from the bandits above rip up the dirt around his feet, Roland changes course and instead heads for the rope bridge, which connects his platform to a similar platform on the other side of the canyon._

_As he darts onto the unstable bridge, Krom's machine gun finally opens fire. The massive bullets miss Roland by inches but cut through the two ropes, which acted as rails for the bridge._

_Wobbling nervously now that the rope rail are gone, Roland dives forwards onto the rope connected, wooden slats that make up the bridge. Back up on the fourth tier, Krom continues to fire in Roland's direction, although most of his bullets hit and start to tear apart the bridge._

_Coupled with the damage already done to the bridge by the Bandits firing from above as well as Krom's machine gun, the bridge is unable to take the added pressure of Rolands body hitting it. The remaining two ropes holding the bridge to the platform Franz is stood on, snap at the end and the bridge swings downwards, towards the other side of the canyon._

_This stops Franz who reaches the area where the bridge used to start only moments after it has collapsed._

_Wrapping his hands around the slat above him, Roland braces himself as the bridge smacks against the canyon wall. He follows close behind and the plank he's holding on to snaps, causing Roland to drop slightly until his hands manage to catch the one blow it. This one also snaps, as do the next four or five. Finally, with only two slats left before a deadly drop, the piece of wood Roland falls on to manages to hold._

_Looking down Roland watches the other pieces smash into the ground. His legs flail wildly as he hangs onto his piece of wood and looks upwards. Because of the amount of slats that gave way there is no way he can reach the next piece of wood above him._

_Back up on the fourth tier, Krom readjusts him aim so that Roland is dead centre in his sight. Across the canyon from Roland, Franz also lines up his rifle. He has a clear shot at Roland._

_As Roland hangs on for dear life, he searches the area below him for a way out. About six meters down is the rope bridge, which connects the two tier two platforms, however it is also a few meters across, which means he can't simply drop onto it. He'll need to swing over and jump._

_Above him, one of the ropes holding up Rolands bridge is heavily frayed and looks like it could snap at any second._

_Bullets hit the canyon wall right next to Roland as Franz opens up fire. As Roland's head darts up in the direction the gunfire, seven bandits join Franz; the four who emerged from the tent earlier as well as the three from the fourth tier who took the ladder._

_Attempting to push away from the wall and swing the bridge towards the tier two bridge, Roland suddenly drops a foot as the frayed rope gives way up the top._

_No longer held equally by both ropes, the planks all slant downwards towards the side with the snapped rope. As a result of Roland's twisting, the bridge also swings outwards from the canyon wall, so that Roland is no longer facing the wall, but back towards Krom, the opposite direction to the tier two bridge he's trying to get to._

_As this happens Krom fires his machine gun again, but Roland sudden drop saves his life as the bullets pocket the rock above his head._

_The slat Roland was gripping onto finally gives and falls away. Rather than grabbing the final slat below it, Roland instead grabs for the lower hanging, snapped rope._

_Held onto the bridge only by the slats of wood and not the pole at the top, Roland extra weight causes the rope to drop another few feet, pulling all the wooden slats vertical. The momentum spins him around and in desperation, as he faces the tier two bridge he swings his legs back towards the canyon wall and pushes against it attempting to swing the rope in the proper direction._

_The rope swings outwards, but not forwards as another hail of bullets fly past Roland. The bullets break a number of slats and the rope drops further as its anchors are destroyed._

_Coming back to hit the wall, Roland attempts to walk along the wall in the right direction as he pushes off again._

_This works but Roland is unable to build up enough momentum. Another wooden board is blasted to pieces, which causes Roland to spin out of control as it pulls on his rope. With fewer slats holding his rope to the rope still attached at the top, one of the boards near the top gives on its own, unable to bear the weight._

_Roland's earlier push reaches the end of its arc and he begins to swing back towards the wall and away from the bridge. His dizzying spinning slows down and he grips his rope tightly with both hands as he readies himself for his next attempt._

_Digging his feet into the canyon wall he runs forwards along the wall before pushing himself away from it in the direction of the lower bridge. Krom opens fire with his machine gun and sends two bullets straight through the rope that was still attached to the top of the bridge._

_Roland lets out a terrified yell as the bridge drops away and lets go, holding out both arms ready to catch the second tier bridge he's free falling towards._

_Catching one of the rail ropes, Roland's fall is brought to an abrupt end, so much so that he almost loses his grip. Below him, the bridge he was previously hanging on to smashes into smithereens on the ground a hundred meters below._

_Swinging his legs up, Roland walks his legs onto the bridge before swinging the rest of his body under the rail rope and pulling himself up._

_Krom's machine gun bullets bite through the air near him and Roland covers the few meters between where he's stood on the bridge and solid ground. He quickly dives into an alcove, which protects him from Krom's machine gun._

ROLAND

Thank God for lower gravity.

_He pants to himself. Taking a moment to catch his breath he looks across the canyon to the other tier two platform on the opposite side._

_He realises his break is over as Franz and the bandits drop down from their third tier platform onto the second tier Roland was looking at and put themselves in a position where they can fire on him._

_Leaping straight back into action, Roland bolts forwards and leaps over the edge of the second tier, landing hard on the first tier and rolling out of the fall. Immediately in front of him is the massive bruiser that knocked him out earlier._

_No sooner has Roland regained his balance, he's scooped up by the Bruiser and pinned against the wall of the canyon. Attempting to refill his lungs after having his breath knocked out of him, Roland is suddenly lifted up by the Bruiser and flung out towards the edge of the platform. He hits the ground and rolls, stopping himself less than a foot from the sheer drop._

_Shakily he pulls himself up as the Bruiser strides up to him and swings a massive fist his way._

_Roland ducks under the fist and brings a leg up, kicking the Bruiser as hard as he can towards the chasm. The Bruiser finds himself teetering on the edge of the cliff, inviting Roland to throw his energy into a shoulder push, which sends the large man down to his death._

_Quickly looking around, Roland spots the narrow exit to the Bandits camp and races for it._

92. EXT. KROM'S CANYON, CANYON INTERSECTION – DAY

_A few moments later, near the entrance to the canyon, Roland finally comes to a stop near the intersection he was at earlier._

_Bending down and resting his hands on his knee's he pants heavily, trying to take as much air into his lungs as he can. With the adrenaline beginning to exit his body, he finds that he is completely worn._

_After a few moments his breath slowly begins to slow down and he straightens up, looking down the canyon, back the way he came._

_Suddenly his breathing stops as he hears a faint hum. A beat passes and the hum becomes louder. Roland takes a step back as the noise starts to become recognisable as the roar of multiple engines._

_From the direction of the bandit camp, three outriders emerge from around the corner. Two of them house machine gun turrets, however the third has Franz sat behind a rocket launcher turret._

ROLAND

Oh for heavens sake.

_Despite being a couple hundred meters away, as soon as Franz spots Roland's form, he lets loose a rocket._

_Roland see's the rocket spiral towards him and dives to one side as the ground near him explodes in a bright orange fireball._

_Pulling himself up, he instantly makes for the canyon exit. He only manages to run about ten minutes when the ground in front of him suddenly falls away and a giant spiderant pulls itself to the surface, attracted by the explosion._

_Roland readjusts his course and runs right, around the creature and more pop up around him._

_Closing their distance fast, the machine gun outriders refocus their attention on the numerous spiderants. The large male creature, holds two massive claws in front of itself and the bullets bounce off harmlessly._

_The first outrider speeds towards the large spiderant which then uses one of its claws to swipe at the vehicle, sending it flipping through the air, its occupants hitting the ground hard._

_The smaller spiderants immediately dive onto the bandits and sink their claws into the soft bodies, tearing them apart._

_Throughout this entire ordeal Roland heads towards the canyon exit as fast as he can, although he doesn't completely escape notice. Two smaller spiderants, curl their bodies in on themselves and begin to roll towards Roland at fast pace. Seeing them coming Roland dodges to one side and one of the monsters hits the side of the canyon, stopping the movement but not hurting it at all._

_The two remaining outriders make a wide berth of the large Spiderant, but both fire continuously on it. The spiderant manages to block most of the damage with its large claws._

93. INT. EARL'S HUT, MAIN ROOM – DAY

_Crazy Earl kneels down next to a worn out, patchy couch and pets a small Skag._

CRAZY EARL

All right there, boy. Good boy.

_The sound of gunfire attracts his attention. As he listens the sounds get louder._

_Pushing himself up against the front door he reaches up and opens the small slot, looking outside._

_At first he doesn't see anything. Suddenly Roland enters his field of view, letting out panicked yells and tearing past as fast as he can, occasionally sneaking a glance behind him._

_As Roland disappears further down the valley Earl looks back waiting for Rolands pursuers to appear._

_A moment passes. The gunfire gets louder but nothing enters the area._

_Finally after a few beats, the bandits and spiderants come into view at about the same time. Most of the smaller creatures are gone but the large monster is still a threat as the bandits weave around it in their outriders._

_Having seen enough, earl quickly slides the slot closed and turns around, putting his back against the door and looking down at his pet skag, wide eyed._

94. EXT. SCRAP YARD, CRAZY EARL'S HUT – DAY

_Franz fires a rocket and takes out two of the smaller spiderants. The large creature turns towards him but the other outrider cuts between them and starts firing._

_Franz leans down to his driver and yells._

FRANZ

Get behind it!

_The bandit driver nods and begins to circle the large creature._

_Lining up his shot, Franz waits a moment and finally fires a rocket straight into the Spiderant's abdomen._

_The soft flesh is blown open, coating the area in yellow innards._

_Franz lets out a victorious cheer as the other outrider starts to pick off the remaining smaller Spiderants._

_As his driver pulls the outrider to a stop, Franz looks down the valley in the direction Roland was headed._

95. EXT. WEST COMMONS, DIRT PLAINS – DAY

_Some time later, Roland finally reaches the area where he and Tannis arrived via her teleportation device. The pole is still stood on a small rise._

_Roland heads over to the pole and looks back across the plains. The two outriders can be seen rapidly approaching. The machine gunner fires a number of rounds, but at that range, none of them get too close to Roland._

_Roland looks at the screen on the pole. The look on his face betrays the fact that he is not happy with his decision to use this device again. A patch of dirt is kicked up not too far from him as a bullet hits it._

_Springing into action, he hits the screen to activate it. A keypad appears._

ROLAND

Oh, shit. What was the code to get back to Tannis's.

_He desperately thinks for a moment as the clouds of dust from the machine guns bullets, slowly get closer and closer to him._

ROLAND

Um.. Er… Ah ha: four… … ah… four… three…

_He punches those numbers in. In desperation, he starts hitting the keypad desperately, hoping to chance upon the combination. As soon at eight numbers go in, the keypad flashes red and they all disappear._

_Roland tries again, but the device still wont let him use it._

_Franz is now close enough to take a shot with the rocket launcher turret. His shot isn't far off and the rockets flies past Roland, missing him by only a few feet and causing him to jump back._

_Roland doesn't even bother looking at the keypad beyond hitting the four and three, and continues to punch in completely random numbers._

_Again, the screen flashes red, two, three times._

_All of a sudden, on the fourth attempt the screen flashes green and the large button appears._

_A relived smile splitting his face, Roland reaches behind the screen and pulls out one of the handles._

_Roland hits the button and at exactly the same moment, Franz fires another rocket. This time his aim is dead on and a massive fireball engulfs the pole and Roland._

96. INT. A BOAT, CABIN – NIGHT

_The cabin is relatively empty. A large desk sits in the middle with a map pinned to the wall behind it. In one of the corners is another of the devices attached to a pole._

_The device suddenly springs to life and a blinding flash of light fills the area._

_As it dies down, Roland is revealed, hugging the pole, his eyes squeezed shut._

_A beat passes._

ROLAND

Am I alive?

_He slowly opens his eyes. Any joy he may have felt at still being alive is negated by the disappointment that he's not back at Tannis's hut._

_He takes a moment, observing his immediate surroundings._

ROLAND

I'm… …

_He takes a step forwards and stumbles into the desk as the room rocks slightly. The sound of waves can be heard outside._

ROLAND

…on a boat?.. Didn't think I'd end up here.

_Taking his weight off of the desk he moves to the only door and pushes it open._

97. EXT. A BOAT, DECK – NIGHT

_As he exits the cabin, Roland is surprised to find that it's night-time. The boat he's on is not particularly large, with low rails surrounding the deck._

_In the distance light can be seen coming from behind a large mountain range throwing pink and orange hues over the land, it almost looks like dawn is coming._

_Roland moves over to the side of the boat and idly leans against one of the railings. He suddenly jumps back as he hits a small button that was attached to the railing._

_In an instant the entire boat lights up. Christmas lights, which have been strung all over the boat spring to life and two large speakers on the deck start playing carnival type music._

_Roland pushes the button again, hoping to turn everything off. It doesn't work. He leans down and hits it again and a third time._

_His head shoots up as he hears a splash quite close to the boat._

_As he watches the water a figure jumps out and splashes back in again almost instantly. It's not entirely clear what it is._

_It jumps out again closer and this time Roland gets a good look. The figure is a plastic figurine of a dolphin, with a plastic Tannis riding it in a bikini and waving a cowboy hat. It disappears back into the water._

_Eyes wide with disbelief at what he's seeing, Roland shakes his head before rubbing his eyes, just to make sure he's not seeing things._

98. INT. A BOAT, CABIN – NIGHT

_The music can still be heard outside as Roland bursts back through the door muttering to himself._

ROLAND

That woman is completely mad. Insane. No, what's worse than that?.. I don't know, but she's… whatever that is.

_He looks back through the door, completely gobsmacked at what he's just witnessed._

_Throwing the door closed he turns back into the room and turns his attention to the device that brought him here._

_He hits the holographic screen and the keypad appears._

ROLAND

Alright. How do we get back to Tannis?.. Lets see. It's four three… … Four three… Damn it, four three what?

_In frustration he spins around and looks back into the room. The desk has nothing on it and doesn't appear to be any use._

_He glances up at the large map._

_Although the map has all the geography of Pandora marked out, nothing is labelled, making it next to useless._

_Roland starts to turn away, however something on the map suddenly pulls him back to it._

_Moving forwards he notices a tiny red mark on the map, placed over one of the large lakes. Rubbing his finger over it, Roland chuckles to himself._

ROLAND

You are here.

_Taking his finger away he quickly follows the grid that the mark lies in to the top of the map and then the bottom, before turning away._

_He stops._

_Spinning back to the map he finds the mark again and follows the grid to the top of the map. Sitting just above the top of the highest square is the map coordinate: forty-three degrees._

ROLAND

Four three!

_All the grids are divided, very faintly into a hundred smaller squares, ten each horizontally and diagonally._

_Roland allows a victorious smile._

ROLAND

Ah. Here we go. Now, where are you Tannis?

_He traces the forty-three degree grid up and down, looking for familiar geological shapes. After a few passes he finally stops on a spot that looks promising._

_He counts the faint squares horizontally until he reaches the point he's looking at, talking it through under his breath._

ROLAND

Four three… one two three four five six, seven: Four three seven… … nine?

_The last number he has to guess based on where it lands within the small square. Heading back to the device, he puts the first four numbers into the keypad._

_He moves back to the map, finds his spot and then follows the grid horizontally. After a moment he once more returns to the device._

ROLAND

Eight two six three.

_The keypad flashes green and reveals the button. Roland gives a little jump for joy._

ROLAND

Alright. All I need to do now is throttle Tannis until she tells me where the closest… … this thing… is to Sanctuary.

_He reaches behind the screen and pulls out one of the handles. Holding his hand close to the button he quickly laments…_

ROLAND

I lived such a short life.

_He slaps his hand on the button and the cabin is replaced by whirlpool of swirling colours._

99. INT. TANNIS'S SHACK, MAIN ROOM – DAY

_The bright flash of light fades and Roland appears, once more standing in Tannis's shack, facing the wall. He calls out._

ROLAND

Right! Now then… …

_He turns around as he speaks and his voice trails off._

_Tannis's shack may have been cluttered before, but now its been turned upside down and totally messed up. Absolutely nothing has been left standing upright. Many objects have been destroyed and there is no sign of life._

_A low growl causes Roland to look up. The bloodwing is now sat in the rafters, having been broken from its cage._

_Roland starts to move slowly through the destruction._

ROLAND

Tannis? Patricia?

_His boot hits something and he looks down._

_Buried underneath a pile of broken equipment, Claptrap can be seen poking out slightly. It's not moving._

_Roland kneels down and pushes the rubble off of Claptrap._

ROLAND

Hey. Oi, robot!

_He hits the side of the robot as though belting a faulty computer. Suddenly the small robot springs to life. Two slots open on either side and it pushes out its thin arms, which it uses to feel its body. The sight almost resembles someone who's just been shot in the stomach._

_Claptrap swivel's its main camera up towards Roland and starts speaking, although the voice is extremely distorted and crackly._

CLAPTRAP

Hey you bint, take a hint, because this stint, which cost a mint, was caused by… … … Flynt.

ROLAND

Flynt? Flynt was here?

_The Claptrap bounces up onto its wheel._

CLAPTRAP

Bandits! Quick! Bandits are attacking! They're taking her, they're taking her! Run! Hide!.. … There's no escape… … … They are coming.

_With this, Claptrap powers down. It rocks unsteadily for a moment before falling backwards onto the pile._

_Roland moves forwards and taps it again._

ROLAND

Where's Tannis.

_Claptrap powers up long enough to deliver his next line before dying again._

CLAPTRAP

She's gone.

ROLAND

Gone? Where has she gone?

_Claptrap powers up again, but only seems to do so at half power. His numerous lights seem much dimmer than usual._

CLAPTRAP

They took her. She's a prisoner. Oh poor master… … … Does this mean I'm free?

_Having got the information he was after, Roland leaves Claptrap and strides out of the shack._

100. EXT. FYRESTONE, OPEN SHACK – DAY

_Marcus and Brick are both sat around a small round table, located just outside of the open weapons store._

_Brick looks out towards the main pavilion and jumps up as he sees Roland approaching them. Marcus remains seated, but leans forwards._

MARCUS

Ah. My friend. We were beginning to wonder whether or not you would make a reappearance. I almost contemplated offering your partner here some full time employment.

_Marcus grabs for a small glass sat on the table next to him._

ROLAND

Thankfully, I am back.

_He turns to Brick._

ROLAND

Hey man. How'd you go? I doubt you had half the amount of trouble I did.

_Brick opens his mouth to answer but Marcus cuts in first._

MARCUS

Your friend here has proven to be quite useful. Not that I gave him anything too hard to do.

_Roland gives Brick a friendly pat on the arm before moving forwards, stopping in front of Marcus._

ROLAND

Good. I need your help.

MARCUS

What can I do for you?

_Roland steals the chair Brick was sat on, leaving the big man to nip into the store and fetch another, eventually placing it behind the table, between Roland and Marcus. Meanwhile, Roland turns to Marcus._

ROLAND

While I was away, a group of Bandits lead by Flynt took Tannis. Right now, she's my only ticket off of this rock, so I need your help to go after them and get her back.

_Marcus takes a moment to dwell on what Roland is asking of him._

MARCUS

Going after Flynt?.. I am sorry my friend, but I cannot help you with this.

ROLAND

Why not?

MARCUS

If Flynt has Tannis, then she is a lost cause. This is not a case of chasing down any group of Bandits. Flynt has named himself the Baron of the Bandits on Pandora. His mobile base; a massive mining vehicle, is heavily armoured and protected by many gun turrets. Nobody can get close to that thing.

ROLAND

How many have tried?

MARCUS

Nobody. We all know it is suicide.

_Roland twists in his chair, away from Marcus and looks out over Fyrestone. The town appears close to deserted but a handful of Pandoran's wander around the area. Just off to the side of one of the small shacks, on the other side of the wide street, Roland spots two young children, no older than ten, keenly observing an unseen insect on the ground._

ROLAND

How often do the Bandits attack this town?

MARCUS

It is not as rare an event as we would like. But as long as we do what they want, they do not kill too many of us. You will have a hard time trying to convince these people to provoke them.

_At this point Brick leans forwards and brings himself into the conversation._

BRICK

I thought Tannis was meant to be hidden good. How did they find her?

_Roland looks back in his direction._

ROLAND

They had me followed. Wouldn't surprise me if you were as well. I might be checking up on anyone outside town you happened to run into.

_This immediately catches Marcus's attention. He swings his head towards Roland, his eyes showing hints of worry. Swinging towards Brick, he makes eye contact with the large man before softly expressing what he's worried about._

MARCUS

T K!

101. INT. TK BAHA'S HUT, MAIN ROOM – DAY

_Brick stands in the door of TK's hut and looks into the room. Roland and Marcus join him only a moment later._

ROLAND

Oh shit.

_The camera tracks back to reveal a completely destroyed interior. Much like Tannis's shack, nothing remains upright._

_TK Baha himself, hangs from a metal ceiling fan, which is slowly rotating. His wooden leg looks like its been hacked off and his body has been mangled and contorted into a completely unnatural shape._

_Brick slowly closes the door._

102. EXT. FYRESTONE OUTSKIRTS, TK BAHA'S HUT – DAY

_As Brick pulls the door closed, Marcus takes a step back and looks up at Roland._

MARCUS

That man did not deserve to die like this. My friend, you have my support. I will speak to the others around Fyrestone and see if they will help you, also.

_Roland nods, satisfied_.

103. EXT. FYRESTONE, OPEN SHACK – DAY

_Roland, Brick and Marcus stand around the small round table._

MARCUS

We have three Out-runners of our own as well as four vehicles' that we… err… recovered over the years. It seems I was wrong about the people here; there are plenty who are quite eager to try and get rid of Nine-toes… and Flynt of course.

ROLAND

I'm guessing Nine-toes was Flynt's voice in this area.

MARCUS

In a way.

ROLAND

And you've told me everything you know about Flynt's machine.

MARCUS

I have seen it only once, from a distance. All of my information comes from the stories I have heard, but yes, I've told everything I know.

_Roland glances over at Brick, a plan forming in his head._

ROLAND

It sounds to me, like Flynt's biggest problem is his own overconfidence.

MARCUS

I'd argue he has pretty good grounds to be confident.

_Roland gives a sly smile as Marcus's remark._

ROLAND

Something I've learnt over the years in that one of the biggest mistakes made when someone owns a massive ship, is that they are usually so sure that the exterior defences will handle any problems that they tend to skimp out on interior defence. I think, the best way to handle Flynt's behemoth is to zip past the exterior defences and get as many people on board as quickly as possible.

_Marcus takes a moment to process Roland's idea._

MARCUS

Take the big guns out of the equation.

ROLAND

Sort of. We'll leave three vehicles' out to keep Flynt's men busy, and distracted, while the other four unload men into his base.

MARCUS

But are you not asking those three to sacrifice themselves?

_Roland shakes his head._

ROLAND

If we do this properly, those guns should stop firing pretty quickly.

_There is a moment of silence._

MARCUS

I do not like this, but your plan sounds like it could work. I will talk to the others and find out about the vehicles.

ROLAND

Great.

_Marcus begins to walk away from the table as Roland turns to Brick._

ROLAND

Feel like taking the driver's seat this time?

BRICK

Hell yeah!

_Brick turns and walks away from the table and Roland suddenly remembers something. He calls after Marcus._

ROLAND

Oh, and Marcus

MARCUS

Yes, my friend.

_Marcus stops and turns around as Roland jogs over to join him._

ROLAND

I've been running around for far too long without a gun.

_As Roland catches up, Marcus begins to walk again. Roland follows next to him._

MARCUS

You are in luck. I have a fine range of Atlas weaponry…

_Roland suddenly puts a hand to Marcus's chest and stops him._

ROLAND

Wait! Whoa, whoa. You stock Atlas?

MARCUS

Well, they may be an evil corporation, but you cannot deny they make superior weaponry.

_Roland doesn't have much of an argument against that._

ROLAND

I've always preferred Dahl myself.

MARCUS

Oh, and how do you justify this?

_Roland pauses for a moment trying to come up with a suitable answer. A few beats pass before he finally settles on a response._

ROLAND

The ads were funnier.


	11. God of Thunder

Uni - the ultimate time consumer. Admittedly, the massive gap between chapters probably wasn't helped by the fact that this fight scene continued to grow bigger and bigger every time I sat down to it. This is easily the largest action scene in the story, which isn't to say that the final showdown won't be big, but that scene will be more concerned with tying off the hanging plot threads. For every exciting beat and cheer moment I squeezed into this mini novella of a chapter, the hardest decision I had to make involved the inclusion of a side character. After sitting down with both the game and the wiki and pouring over all the options, I finally decided it would probably be easier on the audience to just use a character I had already established rather than introduce a whole new one just for this section. As always, I'll let you guys be the judge and I really hope you enjoy this latest offering.

* * *

104. EXT. DAHL HEADLANDS, BARREN PLAINS – DAY

_Much like the rest of Pandora, this area is made up of empty desert with only a few rocky outcrops and low hills breaking up the landscape. In the distance, the area seems to be enclosed by steep valley walls._

_An outrunner enters frame, flying over the camera having just hit a small jump._

_The wheels hit the ground and it speeds forwards, followed closely by six others._

_The first Outrunner is steered onwards by Brick with Roland's upper torso emerging from the top section where a gun turret was once mounted. It's obviously been long since removed however, and so Roland holds a machine gun (Hyperion branded) tightly in his hands._

_Of the remaining six Outrunners, two others also lack mounted turrets, while the final four "recovered" vehicles possess large guns attached near the top._

_Gripping one of these turrets, white knuckled, is Marcus, who swings his gun from side to side on the lookout for any danger. His Outrunner bounces over a small rock and Marcus gives the driver a dirty look, clearly uncomfortable with not being in the drivers seat, and feeling more exposed than he would in his bus._

_As Roland scans the landscape ahead of him, something catches his eye. Peering towards the top of the cliffs surrounding the area he notices something glinting in the harsh sunlight._

_Leaning down, he taps Brick on the shoulder. As the big man peers back at him, Roland indicates towards Marcus and Brick nods, acknowledging Roland's request._

_Veering to one side, Brick pulls his Outrunner alongside Marcus's. Roland leans towards Marcus and points towards the area the glint was coming from, shouting to be heard over the engines._

ROLAND

What's up there?

MARCUS

It is the road into Fyrestone. It is a one way route though, impossible to go back that way.

_Roland straightens himself up and gazes at the top of the cliffs for a few moment._

_This time it's Marcus who leans over towards Roland as he shouts…_

MARCUS

Why did you insist on pulling me into this? I am not one to get into fights like this and there were plenty of others willing to take my place.

ROLAND

From what I can gather, you've driven and know these routes better than anyone in Fyrestone. If anyone can help us find the Bandits, it's you.

_Leaning down, Roland pats Brick's arm again and the Outrunner moves away from Marcus. As he watches Roland veer off, Marcus mutters to himself._

MARCUS

It is not all that hard. Just follow the sound of gunfire.

_The group of Outrunners reach the far edge of the plains and move towards one of the cliff walls bordering them. Splitting the cliff is a canyon, which leads to the next plain. Although not too thin, the high walls give the impression that the canyon is much tighter than it really is._

_The Outrunners move closer together and bunch up as they enter the canyon._

105. EXT. DAHL HEADLANDS, CONNECTING CANYON - DAY

_Brick pushes his Outrunner forwards and moves it to the front of the pack. Meanwhile, Roland scans the cliffs for any danger. The walls are pocketed with what look like small holes or cave entrances. At least one of these holds a Skag, looking down on the small group, however it makes no move to attack them._

_Lowering his gun, Roland glances back at the vehicles behind him._

_While he's looking back, one of the small caves, just in front of their Outrunner spits out a bandit Outrider, wheels spinning mid jump, forcing Brick to slam his foot down on the brakes._

_As Brick's vehicle comes to a grinding halt, the bandit's Outrider hits the ground, bouncing once, in front of the Fyrestone group._

_A beat passes where the group, in particular Brick and Roland, stare at the lone Outrider._

_The silence is finally broken as the Outrider fires up its gun turret, sending a flurry of bullets into the pack._

_Initially Roland ducks his head, trying to reduce the amount of his body sticking out of the top of the Outrunner, however he quickly responds with a burst from his machine gun as Brick floors it._

_Their Outrunner rockets towards the lone Outrider, who's still firing his gun at the group._

_Following Brick's lead, the other six vehicles move forward, the ones at the front firing back at the Outrider when there's no other cars in the way._

_As he approaches the Outrider, bullets flying past his head, Roland lines up his gun and fires off a burst, sending a multitude of bullets flying through the gunner's chest. The turret stops and the driver sits there confused for a brief moment, wondering where to go from here. He doesn't have to ponder long, as one of the Outrunners slams into his side, causing the Outrider to flip over, sending the driver flying._

_The canyon takes a loose corner. As he straightens back up, Brick shouts back at Roland._

BRICK

That wasn't a part of the plan.

ROLAND

Must have been a stray.

_As if in direct response to Roland's speculation, the caves along the side suddenly come alive as no less than eight Outriders burst from them, flying through the air and landing amongst the group._

_At least one of them lands on top of one of the Outrunner's with a turret, destroying the gun and squashing the gunner._

_Some of the bandit Outriders have two bandits hanging off of the side of the vehicle, holding light guns, as well as the driver and turret gunner. As the cars hit the ground a few of the bandits holding onto the side are thrown off and run over. Just as many manage to keep their grip._

_The canyon immediately lights up with gunfire. In the close, enclosed space, a good number of bandits are killed easily, however one of the Fyestone Outrunner drivers is shot dead. A number of bullets hit the metal beams encasing him before more burst though his head and torso, his vehicle suddenly spinning off course and slamming into the side of the canyon._

_Roland tries to fire back, however its difficult to get any safe shots off as the bandits and Fyrestone group are too heavily mixed._

_Marcus fires of his turret at an Outrider just in front of him and slightly to the right. His aim is terrible, however in a stroke of luck he manages to tear off one of the front wheels of an Outrider. The front of the vehicle hits the ground and the sudden drag causes the back to be lifted up into the air, flipping the car over._

_Marcus's driver quickly dodges around the wreckage as Marcus looks back, looking part victorious and part stunned. He's quickly reminded that he's not out of it yet as a bullet from one of the other Outriders bounces off of his steel circular enclosure._

_Over on the other side of the canyon, one of the non-turreted Fyrestone civilians manages to take out a bandit turret gunner after two blasts with his shotgun._

_In the thick of the group, an Outrider with two bandits holding on is rammed by one of the Outrunner's, trapping one of the Bandit's legs between the two vehicles and yanking him off as they separate. The Bandit on the other side almost looses his grip due to the force of the impact, however just manages to hang on. Aiming his pistol just over his driver's head, he fires off a number of shots at the Outrunner that just rammed them._

_Taking another bend in the canyon, Brick's Outrunner suddenly exits the enclosed space as it enters another large, flat plain._

106. EXT. DAHL HEADLANDS, SECOND PLAIN – DAY

_As they exit the narrow valley, the cars all pull apart and spread themselves out over a wide area. The battle now relies much more on precise aiming. This doesn't stop the rate of gunfire though._

_The Fyrestone group have already been reduced by three. Two of the gun mounted Outrunners are missing as well as one without a mounted gun. One of the remaining gun mounted Outrunners has the dead man hanging out the top, squashed from the Outrider, which landed on his car earlier. Marcus is the only person left holding a mounted gun. The bandits have also been reduced from eight to four._

_Quickly doing a count of the remaining survivors, Roland curses under his breath._

ROLAND

This is not going well.

_He raises his gun and fires in the direction of one of the Outriders. The bullets hit one of the bandits clinging on the side in the arm. Yelling out in pain, the Bandit lets go and bounces along the ground for a moment before being run over by a fellow Outrider driver._

_In response to this attack, the gunner on the Outrider Roland fired at returns a hail of bullets. Hearing them bounce off of the steel frame, Brick swerves the car violently in an attempt to dodge the incoming fire._

_Roland attempts to fire again but Bricks erratic movements make it almost impossible to aim. The bullets go wide and the Outrider speeds forwards to try and catch Roland's vehicle._

107. EXT. DAHL HEADLANDS, SECOND PLAIN – DAY

_Elsewhere on the plains, the Outrunner with the squashed gunner pulls up along side one of the Outriders. The gunner on the Outrider attempts to aim his turret at the driver, however the Outrunner driver moves his vehicle closer until he is within a few feet. The Outrider gunner fires, but his gun is unable to aim down far enough and the bullets are ineffective._

_Reaching to his side, The Outrunner's driver pulls out a small SMG and aims it at the Bandit driver, who barely has time to try and pull away before being pocketed with a burst of bullets._

_The Outrider immediately falls behind and the Fyrestone driver allows a victorious grin._

108. EXT. DAHL HEADLANDS, SECOND PLAIN – DAY

_Marcus is also exchanging bullets with a Bandit's Outrider. His aim is terrible with only a few bullets even making it close. Thankfully for him, the Bandit on the gun isn't much better._

MARCUS

I am NOT cut out for this shit!

_The Bandit starts to move in closer to improve his aim. Bullets come flying towards Marcus who ducks down, trying to retreat into the small opening he's sat in._

_Not even bothering to look out at the battlefield, he simply fires the turret above his head blindly, in what he believes to be the right general direction._

109. EXT. DAHL HEADLANDS, SECOND PLAIN – DAY

_A few of Marcus's bullets travel towards Roland's vehicle, bouncing off the side and stealing his attention for a moment._

_Turning back to the Bandit car bearing down on him, he fires, and manages to get off a fluke shot, sending a bullet into the Bandit's gun turret, blowing it clean off the top of the Outrider._

_The Outrider finally manages to pull directly alongside Roland, however with nothing to fire the Bandit simply looks over at him and after a beat, waves._

STEVE THE BANDIT

Heyoo!

_Roland simply gives him a strange look before sending a single bullet into his face._

_Barely able to recover from this strange ordeal, Roland is suddenly slammed into the side of the turret pod as one of the remaining two Outriders rams his vehicle._

_Quickly recovering, he spins around, his eyes rapidly widening as he finds himself staring straight down the barrel of the Outriders mounted gun._

_Before the Bandit has a chance to finish Roland off he suddenly jerks as a number of shotgun pellets enter his torso, before slumping over his gun._

_The driver of the Outrider slows down, revealing the shotgun equipped Fryestone Outrunner behind him, lowering his gun._

_The Fyrestone man nods towards Roland as his vehicle drops back to catch the Bandit driver._

_As the land to their left rises slightly, Brick navigates his vehicle right as a low cliff forms from the varying land height. There are a few moments of silence._

_Without warning, the Bandit vehicle, which had recently dropped back, comes roaring over the edge of the cliff, jumping clear over Roland._

_As the vehicle is flying through mid air, Roland whips his gun upwards and without thinking fires at the underside of the Outrider._

_The area is suddenly lit up as one of the bullets manages to find the fuel tank, igniting the flammable contents and blowing the Outrider and it's bandit driver into smithereens, mid jump._

_Pieces of deadly metal shrapnel from the explosion rain down around Roland and Brick, however they manage to avoid all but a few smaller pieces as they speed away from the flaming wreckage, now hitting the ground and rolling violently over the landscape._

_Blinking furiously to try and clear his eyes after the blinding explosion, Roland turns his attention forwards as the edge of the plains comes into sight. Once again, the cliff wall, which surrounds the area, has a thin chasm cut through it which Brick navigates the Outrunner towards._

_They are followed closely by the shotgun equipped Fyrestone Outrunner._

110. EXT. DAHL HEADLANDS, SECOND PLAIN – DAY

_The final Bandit gunner shudders violently as three bullets burst through his chest. He slumps over the side of Outrider._

_Hearing the gunfire from the Bandit stop, Marcus stops firing his gun and slowly pokes his head up above his opening._

_Both vehicles are approaching the edge of the plain._

_Realizing that his gunner is down, the Bandit driver veers his Outrider towards Marcus's vehicle in an attempt to slam into it._

_Marcus's driver is on the ball, however and slams on the brakes. The Outrunner immediately slows down, causing the Bandit to shoot past them._

_Pumping on the accelerator, Marcus's driver speeds forwards._

_The Bandit attempts to veer back towards Marcus's Outrunner, however he oversteers, and temporarily loses control of his vehicle._

_It takes him a moment to regain control of the Outrider, however as he does so, he once again gives it a burst of speed to try and catch Marcus who disappears into the chasm._

_As the bandit approaches the chasm he's suddenly thrown to one side as the final Fryestone driver slams his Outrunner into the Bandit's vehicle._

_Pulling out his SMG, the Fryrestone driver fires off a short burst at the Bandit but misses. In response the Bandit spins the wheel on his vehicle and pulls away from the Outrunner._

_The Fyrestone driver fires again but the distance between him and the Bandit is now too great for the aim to be any good._

_Both vehicles are speeding towards the thin chasm in the cliff. At the moment, the Fyrestone driver is in a better position to safely enter the chasm._

_As they approach the thin opening, the bandit suddenly swings his vehicle back towards the Fyrestone driver in an attempt to line up better with the chasm. The Bandit hits the Outrunner and pushes it slightly to the left._

_The Fyrestone driver pulls the wheel down hard towards the Bandit's Outrider. The wheels grind over the dirt as the Outrunner attempts to push the Bandits vehicle to the side. The Bandit spins his wheel into the Fyrestone vehicle. Neither car gives to the other._

_Seeing that he's not in a position where he can safely line up with the chasm, the Fyrestone driver, in desperation, pulls hard the other direction, away from the Bandit's vehicle. The Outrunner starts to move away, however the wheels of both vehicles have become interlocked._

_There's a deafening shriek of metal on metal as the Outrunner fails to pull away from the Bandit's vehicle._

_The Fryestone driver lets out one final scream as both his and the bandit's vehicles slam into the cliff wall, the vehicles crunching in on themselves._

111. EXT. SALT FLATS, THIN CHASM – DAY

_Roland stops looking back the way they've come and swings around to face forwards. He leans down, over the top of the vehicle to speak to Brick._

ROLAND

I think the next opening we find might be a good time to throw a U-turn.

_Brick looks to the side where a small mirror should be hanging off of the vehicle. It has been torn off at some point in the previous skirmish._

_He twists his body around, trying to look backwards. Before he can turn his head fully, Roland reaches down and grabs the top of Bricks head, gently spinning it back towards the front._

ROLAND

No. No no no! I'll count, you drive.

_Brick turns back to face the front. Roland glances back at the two Outrunner's following him through the chasm. He mumbles to himself under his breath._

ROLAND

Wouldn't want you to miscount.

_The chasm opens out a bit allowing for some breathing room. A few hundred meters later, it rounds a shallow corner and comes to an end._

_At Roland and Brick shoot out of the passage and onto the Salt Flat their mouth's drop open at the sight welcoming them._

112. EXT. SALT FLATS, OPEN FLATS – DAY

_A massive mining machine moves over the landscape on four giant treads. The main body of the machine stretches up about twenty stories, made even higher by the support struts towering above the highest platform. Numerous wide platforms and gantries surround the machine with an external set of stairs zigzagging their way up the back of the machine._

_The defining feature however, is the front of the machine where a long arm holds up a gigantic, circular digger. Tens of large, steel buckets surround the device, which is currently not spinning._

_Roland can't take his eyes off of the machine as their car speeds in its general direction._

113. EXT. THOR, FLYNT'S PLATFORM – DAY

_Flynt sits on a large throne at the top of the mining device (Thor). Off screen someone directs his attention towards the Outrunners emerging behind his machine._

_Turning his head and leaning to one side to look around the back of the throne, he glances back across the flats towards the three Fyrestone vehicles that have just emerged._

114. EXT. SALT FLATS, OPEN FLATS – DAY

_Brick is the first to break out of the trance and starts thinking about turning around to make a hasty retreat. Turning to look back towards the opening they entered the Flats from, he lets out a low growl and looks up at Roland._

BRICK

Are we still turning around?

_Roland finally breaks his gaze with Thor and quickly glances down at Brick before turning back to look behind them. His face drops._

_Behind the three Fyrestone vehicle's at least a dozen Bandit vehicles have appeared from either side of the opening they emerged from._

_Roland turns back and leans down towards Brick._

ROLAND

Well, we've come this far.

_Pulling his gun up to his chest, Roland faces the new threat and fires a round._

115. EXT. SALT FLATS, OPEN FLATS – DAY

_Roland's burst of fire causes Marcus to look up. Following the trail of bullets, Marcus's eyes go wide as he discovers the crowd of Outriders almost directly on his tail. Pulling the mounted gun around, he also fires._

_This is the cue for all of the Bandit vehicles to fire back. Marcus ducks out of sight as the back of his Outrunner is bombarded with hundreds of bullets._

116. EXT. SALT FLATS, OPEN FLATS – DAY

_The shotgun Outrunner's driver looks out to his right as one of the Bandit's pulls up alongside his vehicle._

_Up top, the Fyrestone gunner aims down with his shotgun and looses a round of the deadly pellets towards the Bandit driver._

_The bullets rip through the Bandit, who is thrown to one side as he dies. Keeping a death grip on the steering wheel, the dead Bandit causes the Outrider to steer violently to the right, causing the vehicle to swing up onto two wheels for a number of seconds before it tips completely, rolling across the ground, squashing the gunner and both Bandit's held onto the side._

_Another Bandit Outrider smashes through the wreckage, knocking off one of its own Bandits hanging off of the side._

117. EXT. THOR, MID LEVEL GANTRY – DAY

_A number of Bandits race up to, and man large gun turrets attached to the railing of one of the thin gantries about half way up Thor._

_Directing the guns in the general direction of the Fyrestone vehicles, the Bandits open fire._

118. EXT. SALT FLATS, OPEN FLATS – DAY

_A line of small dust explosions marks one of the trails of bullets coming from Thor. This line snakes its way through the dirt coming very close to Roland's vehicle._

_Roland watches the trail as it rolls over one of the Bandit's Outriders, killing the gunner sat on top._

_Roland turns back to Thor and yells down to Brick._

ROLAND

We need to get as close to that thing as we…

_He's cut off as a bullet bounces off the Outrunner barely an inch from his hand. Jerking his hand back in surprise, Roland looks for the Bandit responsible._

_Finding the guilty Outrider behind and just to the side, Roland lifts his rifle and sends a stream of bullets into the gunner. The driver doesn't give up however and speeds up slightly, pulling his Outrider up alongside Roland's vehicle._

_Roland takes aim to fire, however his attention is stolen by one of the Bandit's from the side of the Outrider leaping across the small distance to grab onto Roland's vehicle._

_Roland swings his gun towards this new threat however the Bandit grabs the barrel of the gun and attempts to pull it from Rolands grasp, directing the muzzle of the gun over his shoulder._

ROLAND

Oi! Mine!

_Roland fires off a round, but they fly harmlessly over the Bandit._

119. EXT. THOR, HIGH GANTRY – DAY

_About three quarters of the way up Thor, a Bandit Bruiser approaches a much bigger turret than the smaller machine guns on the mid level gantry. The barrel is much thicker and the gun is armed with two handles on the side, both with bright red buttons instead of triggers._

_The Bandit aims at Roland's Outrunner and pushes down on both buttons, causing a rocket to fly out of the end of the barrel._

120. EXT. SALT FLATS, OPEN FLATS – DAY

_Noticing the rocket speeding towards their Outrunner, Brick veers the vehicle over to the left. Not having seen the rocket and attempting to remain a constant distance from Roland's Outrunner, the Bandit driver also veers left, putting himself almost exactly where Roland was moments earlier._

_The rocket slams into the Bandit's Outrider, a ball of flame engulfing the driver and remaining Bandit as the steel structure is blown apart._

_The bandit holding Roland's gun, loosens his grip as the heat washes over his back. Stealing the opportunity, Roland reclaims his weapon and swings it around, bringing the butt of the rifle down against the Bandits face. Dazed, the Bandit looses his grip on Roland's Outrunner and falls, bouncing along the ground as Brick and Roland speed away._

121. EXT. SALT FLATS, OPEN FLATS – DAY

_Looking at the fireball caused by the rocket, Marcus freezes up for a moment._

_An Outrider tears past him to his right._

_Swinging his gun turret around, Marcus points the gun in the direction of the Outrider, however it speeds ahead, focusing its sights on reaching Roland instead._

_Deciding against firing at the vehicle, Marcus swings the gun towards the back of his vehicle and concentrates on one of the Bandits Outriders firing from behind._

_His bullets tear a Bandit off of the side of one of the vehicles. The return fire causes him to duck back into his gunner's pit._

_As he drops, his knee pushes against the metal cage separating him from the driver at the front. Feeling this pressure against his back, his driver turns around._

MARCUS'S DRIVER

What the hell are you doing? I thought you knew how to fire a gun.

MARCUS

My targets do not usually shoot back. Skags are only dangerous if you let them get close.

MARCUS'S DRIVER

Well stop letting these guys get close. Get up there and shoot something.

_After a quick beat, Marcus nods and pushes himself back up. One of the Bandit Outriders has pulled itself up next to his vehicle._

_As Marcus spins his gun around to face this threat, the gunner fires a short burst. Most of the bullets soar past, inches from its target, however one bullet manages to graze Marcus's arm, leaving a bloody streak running up to the elbow._

_Quickly glancing at the wound, Marcus's face makes a sudden drastic change. Gone is the fear, replaced by one of anger and vengeance._

_Lining up the machine gun, Marcus lets out a mighty roar and squeezes on the trigger. Pushing his eyes closes he holds his finger down of the trigger, causing a constant stream of bullets to pour out for quite a while._

_Eventually, he lets go of the trigger and pulls his eyes open._

_Despite having his gun pointed directly at them, the Bandit Outrider and all four bandits are completely untouched._

_The Bandit gunner looks over to his comrades hanging off the side and then down at the driver before raising an eyebrow at Marcus._

_A moment passes._

_The Bandit pulls his gun up and fires a burst at Marcus again._

_After a few bullets have been unleashed, the Bandit suddenly stiffens and falls over._

_Pushing down on the brakes, the Fyrestone Outrunner with the shotgun slides into the gap between Marcus and the Bandit Outrider._

_One shotgun blast manages to tear both Bandits off the side and a second takes out the driver._

_Swinging around to face Marcus, the shot-gunner, lets go of the trigger, holding the gun solely by the pump. Jerking the gun up and down, he readies the next pellet._

122. EXT. SALT FLATS, OPEN FLATS – DAY

_A rocket twirls through the air and hits the dirt ground almost directly in front of Roland's Outrunner._

_Jerking down on the wheel, Brick swings the Outrunner around the fiery blast. Despite turning away from it, Roland cops a face full of dirt._

_Spitting out a small amount, which somehow found its way into his mouth, he looks up at Thor, which is now looming high above him._

_The gunners on the massive machine continue to fire in his direction, however not all of them can reach him anymore. On the various metal gantries, a few bandits pull out their own, unmounted guns and fire down on him._

_Roland leans up and returns the fire. One of the Bandits is hit and slumps over the railing until a small bump causes his body to slip over the side._

_Roland watches the body as it hits the ground and his Outrunner flies past. As they pass the body, Roland spins around to hold his gaze and notices a bandit Outrider coming up behind him._

_Quickly letting off three rounds with his gun, he manages to take out the gunner._

_Thinking that the vehicle's threat has been suitably reduced he leans over towards brick._

_Pointing towards the large tread on the side of Thor he yells._

ROLAND

Get me over there.

_Brick nods and adjusts his course slightly._

_From Thor, the Rocket Bandit attempts to fire at Roland again, however Brick has now moved them to close to Thor and the rockets kicks up a cloud of dirt behind them._

123. EXT. SALT FLATS, OPEN FLATS – DAY

_Marcus fires continuously at one of the Outriders behind his vehicle. Most of the bullets either go wide or bounce off of the steel frame, however a few finally find their mark on the driver. The Outrider starts slowing down as the dead Bandit's foot comes off the accelerator and is overtaken by two more, one either side._

_A rocket from Thor comes whizzing past Marcus's Outrunner and hits the ground a dozen meters behind him, putting a cloud of flame and dirt between his car and the pursuing Bandits._

_Too close to stop, one of the Bandit Outriders bursts though this cloud and continues towards Marcus's vehicle._

_Lining up his turret, Marcus fires._

124. EXT. SALT FLATS, OPEN FLATS – DAY

_Brick pulls his Outrunner up next to the giant tread. The top of the tread is just over a meter higher than the Outrunner. It a harrowing jump but certainly not impossible._

_Slowing down to match speed with Thor, Brick moves so that the vehicle is about two feet from the metal covering, hiding the giant gears inside the treads._

_Roland quickly glances back towards the battle happening behind Thor. A rocket blasts the ground, but doesn't appear to hit anyone._

_Holding his gun in one hand, Roland pushes himself up out of his seat and places his feet where he was previously sat._

_He raises his gun arm, but holds on tight with his free hand as he carefully manoeuvres himself into a position that will allow him to leap across the gap onto Thor's treads._

_Raising a foot out of the gunner's pit, he places it along the metal rim at the top of the vehicle._

_Very carefully, he lets go with his second hand and shakily pulls himself straight, standing on top of the moving Outrunner._

_A small dip in the ground forces him to readjust his balance slightly, which he manages to do reasonably quickly._

_Bending at the knee's he prepares to jump._

_Out of nowhere a massive impact rocks the Outrunner. There is no hope for Roland this time. Overbalancing forwards, he reaches out with both hands as he drops from the top of the Outrunner._

_As he comes level with his vehicle, Roland manages to twist his body and catch the top of the Outrunner with his left hand._

_At about the same time his feet start dragging against the ground. With only the one hand keeping him attached to the vehicle, Roland swings backwards, grunting as his back hits the side of the Outrunner._

_He watches in dismay as he loses his grip on his gun, which bounces along the ground as they speed away._

_On the opposite side of the Outrunner, the gunner-less Bandit Outrider, which rammed Roland's vehicle, veers away preparing to come back for another hit._

_Raising his legs and using them to push, Roland pulls himself back around, putting his stomach against the Outrunner and grabbing the top with his right hand._

_The Outrider swings back and hits Roland's vehicle. Brick see's it coming this time and spins the wheel towards the Bandit to try and counter the blow._

_Both cars connect with an impact which causes the lower half of Roland body to fly out, his feet connecting with the metal sheet covering the side of Thor's massive treads, before banging painfully back against the side of the Outrunner._

_The Bandit continues to grind up against Brick, who attempts to steer against him._

_As Roland quickly glances back he notices that his vehicle is slowly being pushed towards Thor. The amount of space remaining before he's crushed between the two vehicles decreases._

_The Bandit breaks away from Brick, who quickly straightens out to keep some distance between himself and the bandit._

_The Bandit doesn't wait however and veers straight back into Brick's Outrunner._

_Quickly finding a foothold near the bottom of the vehicle, Roland pushes himself up straight, and breaths in as the space between his outrunner and Thor disappears, leaving less than half a foot of space. Roland's back sporadically scrapes against Thor._

_The Bandit breaks away again and Brick uses the opportunity to brake, causing the Bandit to speed on ahead of them as they drop to the very back of the tread._

_Rapidly slowing down, the Bandit allows his Outrider to level out with Brick and Roland's vehicle._

_The Bandit once more throws his vehicle against Bricks._

_The Outrunner bounces off of the Bandit's vehicle, and the side Roland was hanging off of hits Thor, scaping along the metal sheet for half a dozen meters until Brick manages to pull it away._

_Pushing down on the brake, Brick drops back slightly putting himself behind the tread._

_As he does, it is revealed that Roland has not been squashed between vehicles, but has managed to grab a hold of the back of the tread, slipping the tips of his fingers into a small gap between the treads slats, allowing the moving conveyor to pull him up._

_As Roland begins to straighten out, Brick pulls his Outrunner away from Thor and drops back, being careful to try and keep close enough to Thor to avoid the rockets being fired._

_Pulling himself to his feet, Roland allows the tread to carry him a bit further before reaching up and grabbing a hold of a ladder, which leads from the top of the tread to a small platform a couple meters above._

125. EXT. SALT FLATS, OPEN FLATS – DAY

_Brick veers right and puts his Outrunner directly behind Thor._

_The Bandit is close behind him and places the Outrider right next to Brick._

_Pumping down on the accelerator, Brick moves his car forwards, passing underneath Thor. The bottom of the massive machine is only slightly higher than the Outrunner._

_The Bandit seems to hesitate for a moment before following Brick into the moving cavern._

126. EXT. THOR, MAINTENACE PLATFORM – DAY

_Two bandits stand on a small platform located just above the tread where the previous action took place._

_Having seen Brick's Outrunner move back behind Thor, this is the direction they are both facing, looking out over the battlefield. They are also arguing with one another._

_To their right, the top of Roland's head appears, emerging from a small niche in the floor of platform, which leads to the ladder he's just scaled._

BANDIT 1

Seriously, the boys on the guns have hit more of our men than theirs.

BANDIT 2

Do you have any idea how much those guns kick. It's a wonder they're not shooting at the sky.

BANDIT 1

Kick? They're as tame as a BB-gun. Perhaps if our "Baron" stopped taking eyes as punishment, we might have someone who could shoot half proper.

_As they argue, Roland sneaks up, unseen, behind them._

BANDIT 1

I don't see the appeal of guns anyway. Nothing beats running into a good old-fashioned fistfight and getting your hands dirty.

BANDIT 2

Well of course you'd think that. You're all brawn, no brain.

BANDIT 1

Hey. Don't you dare insult my intelligence. I know how to use my head.

_This is the cue for Roland to grab them both by the ear and bash their heads together, letting them both drop over the railing and onto the dust below._

_As they drop, he reaches down and grabs the machinegun the one on the left was holding._

ROLAND

Thankyou.

_Looking around, he notices another short ladder behind him, leading up to the low level gantry on Thor._

127. EXT. SALT FLATS, OPEN FLATS – DAY

_Underneath Thor, Brick and the bandit in the Outrider smash into one another, the impact causing both vehicle's to reel out in opposite directions._

_Pumping down on the accelerator, Brick races forwards and emerges from underneath Thor at the front._

_A moment later the Bandit levels out with Brick. Pulling down hard on his wheel, Brick knocks the Bandit over to the left and pushes down on the brake, disappearing back underneath the massive mining vehicle._

_The Bandit veers back right, out of the way of one of the massive treads and back underneath Thor._

128. EXT. THOR, LOW LEVEL GANTRY – DAY

_Roland rounds the corner of the lower level gantry, which winds its way around the back of Thor. In front of him are three bandits, all busy firing at the two Outrunner's still dodging and weaving around the five remaining Bandit Outriders._

_Raising his newly acquired machinegun, Roland sends a round into the closest Bandit._

_This immediately grabs the attention of the other two._

_As they both spin around, Roland fires a second burst, taking out the second Bandit, however he's forced to jump back around to the side of Thor as the third returns fire._

129. EXT, SALT FLATS, OPEN FLATS – DAY

_Underneath Thor, Brick bounces off of the inside of the front tread._

_The Bandit almost immediately comes back and knocks him into the orange metal._

_Pulling down hard on his wheel, the Bandit keeps Brick in place. Spark fly from Brick's Outrunner as he scrapes along the inside of the tread._

_The increased friction causes Brick to lose speed and his Outrunner slowly slips back towards the rear of the front tread and the small gap which separates the front tread from the back tread._

_Looking back, Brick changed the direction he's turning his steering wheel, from pushing back against the Bandit, to pushing hard against the inside of Thor's tread, still keeping his foot on the accelerator._

_The front of his Outrunner bangs up against the tread, causing Brick's hold on the wheel to falter for a moment._

_During this moment his Outrunner lines itself up with the gap between the two treads. The gap is barely wide enough to fit the Outrunner._

_Pulling hard down on the wheel again, Brick just manages to slip out between the treads and back out into the open air. He misses out on being crushed by mere inches._

130. EXT. THOR. LOW LEVEL GANTRY – DAY

_Roland peers out from around the corner and quickly ducks back as a round of bullets bounces off the metal. Extending his arm around the corner he fires blindly down the gantry._

_His shots all miss, but the incoming bullets cause the Bandit to throw himself flat against the wall._

_Taking this opportunity while the Bandit recovers, Roland pops out and sends a round into his chest._

_Running past the dead Bandit, Roland follows the gantry around to the opposite side of Thor._

_Here he finds a metal staircase, zigzagging its way up the back of the vehicle._

_Pointing his gun upwards, he ascends._

131. EXT. SALT FLATS, OPEN FLATS – DAY

_The Outrunner housing the shotgun equipped Fyrestone man moves up between two Bandit Outriders._

_Bullets fly past his ears, causing him to duck briefly into his gunner's pit._

_Pulling up his weapon, he fills the Bandit gunner on his right with pellets before swinging around, pumping his shotgun and, with the gunner on the second vehicle already dead, doing the same to the Bandit hanging off of the side._

_Satisfied with his work, he allows himself a grin as he pumps his shotgun._

_His grin comes to a fiery end as one of the rockets from Thor finds its mark, blowing the Outrunner into the air._

132. EXT. THOR, HIGH GANTRY – DAY

_Having passed the mid level gantry, Roland emerges on a reasonably large platform near the top of Thor._

_Slightly out of breath from the flight of stairs Roland takes a second to look around._

_The large Bandit behind the mounted rocket launcher is directly in front of him. Aiming with his gun, Roland takes him out. Following the gantry around back to the side of Thor he started on, he rounds the corner. Along this side of Thor, the gantry opens out into a reasonably large platform. A ladder to the right leads up to Thor's highest platform and near the front of Thor is the control room for the massive vehicle._

_Through the open door, Roland spots Nine-toes stood in front of a control panel._

_Slowly sneaking up to the opening, he readies his machine gun._

133. EXT. SALT FLATS, OPEN FLATS – DAY

_Brick moves to the front of Thor, staying on the outside of the treads._

_He looks back, trying to see if he can spot the Bandit he's been dealing with._

_Suddenly an impact comes from the opposite side of his Outrunner, pushing him once again in Thor's path._

_Just missing the tread, Brick accelerates hard, pulling himself a reasonable distance out in front of Thor. The Bandits Outrider is faster however and it overtakes Brick in a manner of seconds._

_Putting himself directly in Bricks path, the Bandit hits the break._

_Brick plows into the back of the Bandit's Outrider and loses most of his speed._

_It doesn't take long for Thor to begin catching up to the two vehicles._

_The Bandit keeps his foot on the breaks. His Outrider is being pushed forwards by Brick, who is flat on the accelerator. With Thor fast approaching, Brick can't afford to stop or back up._

_One of Thor's treads looms up behind Brick, who pumps even harder on the accelerator. He attempts to spin the wheels, but they've been caught up in the Bandit's rear wheel's, locking them up._

_The tread starts to get uncomfortably close._

_Desperately pumping his steering wheel in both directions, Brick tries to shake his vehicle loose from the Bandit's grasp._

_The treads are barely a few feet away, its shadow engulfing Brick._

_Suddenly, there's a snap and Brick's steering wheel gives to the left. Pulling down as hard as he can, he swings his vehicle out of the path of the tread, pushing the Bandit vehicle around to the right._

_With his foot still firmly planted on the brake, the Bandit gets about half a second before the large tread rolls over the top of him and his vehicle._

134. INT. THOR, CONTROL ROOM – DAY

_As Thor rolls over the bandit's Outrider, it causes the whole vehicle to shake. Losing his balance, Nine-toes, reaches out and grabs a hold of the wall to his left._

_This action spins him around slightly and he notices something out of the corner of his eye._

_Turning his head, he see's Roland stood in the opening of the control room holding a gun. He's also trying to catch his balance._

_Reaching down to his waist, Nine-toes pulls up his customized pistol and points it at Roland. At the same time, Roland re-levels his gun at Nine-toes._

_Before Roland has a chance to pull the trigger, a large bandit Bruiser appears behind him and grabs both his arms, pulling them behind his back._

_Caught unawares, Roland drops the gun he was holding. It bounces along the platform outside._

_As the Bruiser pulls Roland back, out of the control room, Nine-toes follows, taunting Roland with his French accent._

NINE-TOES

Well, well, well. Monsieur Roland.

135. EXT. THOR, HIGH PLATFORM – DAY

_Nine-toes follows the Bruiser holding Roland outside._

NINE-TOES

Climb up here on your own?

_Roland struggles against the Bruiser, but its no good._

ROLAND

You know, you would not believe how many people out there would love for me to take you out right now.

NINE-TOES

I'm quite sure I do.

_Nine-toes raises his gun, and playfully pulls the secondary trigger, causing the mini saw, attached underneath the barrel to spin._

NINE-TOES

So, you have come to see who is the bigger man, Oui?

_Nine-toes continues moving towards Roland._

NINE-TOES

Then I feel I should warn you: I may only have nine toes… … But I also have three balls.

_He indicates towards his crotch. Before bringing his face threateningly close to Rolland's he holds his gun between them and gives the mini saw another spin._

ROLAND

Really?

_Nine-toes just gives Roland a smirk in response._

_Without warning, Roland brings his right knee up as hard as he can, making painful contact between Nine-toes legs._

_Eye's bulging, Nine-toes stumbles backwards, shrieking and sends a hand down to quickly ensure everything is still intact._

ROLAND

Thanks for the warning.

_In retaliation to the attack on Nine-toes, the Bruiser holding Roland spins him around and sends a large fist into the side of Roland's face, knocking him to the ground._

_Trying to shake the stars out of his eyes, Roland scrambled forwards towards the gun he dropped earlier as Nine-toes regains his feet._

NINE-TOES

Je vais t'arracher tes couilles à travers vos narines!

_Just as Roland is about to wrap a hand around his gun, one of the Bruiser's massive hands wraps around his leg and drags him away._

_Spinning himself onto his back, Roland lashes out with his free foot, kicking at the hand, which has an iron grip on his ankle._

_As his boot scrapes the Bruiser's hand, the beast of a man releases Roland, who quickly rolls back onto his stomach and pulls himself up straight._

_A shrill whine is Roland's only notice as Nine-toes jumps towards him with his pistil. At the last second, Rolland brings up his arms and attempts to grab Nine-toes arm._

_He's not entirely successful, but by sheer luck, his arm blocks the attack stopping Nine-toes' swing towards Roland's face with the mini saw._

_A beat passes as the saw whirls less than an inch from Roland's nose. Nine-toes attempts to push it closer but Roland is too strong for him and pushes Nine-toes back._

_From behind Roland, the Bruiser smashes a forearm against the back of Roland's neck, causing his legs to collapse underneath him and sending him to the ground._

_At this point, Nine-toes briefly abandon's the saw and points the gun at Roland, firing off two shots in quick succession. Rolling to the side, Roland manages to avoid the bullets, which ricochet off of the floor of the platform._

_In the process of dodging the bullets, Roland rolls right into the legs of the Bruiser who reaches down and grabs Roland by the neck of his shirt, with both arms._

_The Bruiser lifts Roland up to face height and simultaneously pulls Roland close, and swings his head down, ramming his forehead against Roland's._

_Released from the Bruisers grip, Roland manages to remain standing, but dazed, stumbles a number of steps backwards, right into Nine-toes._

_Wrapping his left arm around Roland's chest, Nine-toes once again activates the saw and wraps his right arm around, aiming the saw towards Roland's neck._

_Roland manages to catch Nine-toes arm again, however he's still feeling the effects of having his skull rammed and can barely muster the strength to hold Nine-toes' arm in place._

136. EXT. SALT FLATS, OPEN FLATS – DAY

_Marcus fires his machine gun at one of the remaining Bandit Outrider's. The gunner is already dead and he's aiming for one of the bandits hanging off of the side._

_The Bandit he's aiming for holds up his rifle and fires off a round. Marcus fires back but misses._

_The Bandit takes aim again and Marcus ducks down into the gunner's pit. Half speaking to himself he mumbles under his breath._

MARCUS

How the hell have we made it this long?

_The comment doesn't go as unnoticed as he'd hoped._

MARCUS'S DRIVER

It's because you have the best driver Fyrestone had to offer. Now get back up there and stop wasting my talents.

_Marcus nods and pops back up, grabbing the machine gun with both hands and firing at the bandit. After a few bullets, the bandit slumps over and lets go of the Outrunner, falling onto the ground and bouncing a few times._

_Marcus looks pleased with himself, however the feeling doesn't last as the bandit driver lets go of the wheel with one hand, grabbing a small SMG and firing a burst towards Marcus's vehicle._

_Retaliating, Marcus readjusts his aim and fires down at the bandit driver. After a few seconds, the Bandit starts to spasm as he catches a fatal bullet._

_The Outrider veers off away from Marcus. Suddenly Marcus is thrown forwards as his Outrunner slows. Ducking into his pit Marcus raps on the metal grate separating him from his driver._

MARCUS

Hey. What are you do…

_He stops as he notices the exit wound in the side of his driver's head._

137. EXT. THOR, HIGH PLATFORM - DAY

_Nine-toes struggles to get past Roland's defenses. Rather than try to pull hi arm into Roland he tries a new tactic and pushes his attacking arm down towards Roland's stomach. Not ready for the sudden drop, Roland isn't able to completely stop the pistil's saw as it begins to dig into his left arm._

_Crying out in pain, Rolland pushes Nine-toes arm back, before suddenly swinging his head back, smacking Nine-toes on the nose._

_Nine-toes stumbles backwards pulling both arms from around Roland. Roland however keeps a grip on the hand with the pistil and slides it out of Nine-toes fingers._

ROLAND

Thankyou.

_Spinning around to face Nine-toes, Roland pulls the gun up and aims it at his enemy._

_At practically the same time Roland fires a bullet, his aim is thrown off by the Bruiser grabbing him around the chest and attempting to squeeze the life out of him._

_Roland fires off three additional stray bullets but none of them even come close to his targets._

_Recovering from the shock of having his face smashed, Nine-toes seizes the opportunity and steps forwards, sending a fist into Roland's gut._

_As the wind is knocked out of him, Roland's grip on the pistil falters and it drops to the ground, to be scooped up by Nine-toes._

NINE-TOES

Merci.

_Whirling the saw, Nine-toes approaches Roland, however Roland kicks out with both of his legs, knocking Nine-toes back._

138. EXT. SALT FLATS, OPEN FLATS – DAY

_With his driver dead, Marcus's Outrunner rapidly slows down and begins to veer to one side._

_Poking his head out of the gunner's pit, Marcus takes a quick look around before ducking back in._

_Three of the Bandit vehicles have surrounded his vehicle and are slowing down with him._

_As his vehicle eventually comes to a stop Marcus curls himself up as tight as his large stomach will allow and attempts to hide in the gunners pit._

MARCUS

Ah, hell!

139. EXT. THOR, HIGH PLATFORM - DAY

_Bringing his feet back, Roland swings the heel of his boot into the Bruisers shin. Despite what must have been a painful contact, the Bruiser barely moves._

_Roland begins to squirm, trying to escape the Bruisers grasp._

_Nine-toes moves towards Roland again with his customized pistil._

_Roland swings his foot at the Bruiser's shin again. This time the Bruiser's foot moves from the impact and the Bruiser stumbles forwards, leaning on Roland to keep his balance._

_Roland takes the man's weight for a moment before spinning his body and slipping out of the now loosened grip._

_Seeing Roland escape Nine-toes immediately jumps in, swinging his saw at Roland face. Seeing the gun coming towards him at the last moment, Roland ducks underneath it._

_Swinging back with a lower strike, Nine-toes aims for Roland's stomach. Arching his back, Roland sucks in his gut and the gun swings past, missing him by inches._

_Nine-toes third strike is a diagonal swing from up high, which Roland avoids by leaning his body to one side._

_For a moment the two men pause, circling one another._

ROLAND

What have got against bullets?

NINE-TOES

I wouldn't want to kill you too quickly.

ROLAND

I'd rather just get the job over and done with, myself.

_Nine-toes stops for a moment before switching the saw off and cocking the gun, aiming it at Roland's head._

NINE-TOES

If you insist.

140. EXT. SALT FLATS, OPEN FLATS – DAY

_Brick guides his Outrunner around the side of Thor, looking up towards the high platform where he can just make out the figures of Nine-toes and Roland. The Bruiser is out of sight for the moment._

_His attention is stolen as a number of bullets bounce off of the steel frame of his vehicle. Looking around he spots one of the Outriders from the Flats, that has left Marcus in order to chase Brick._

_Without a gun within easy reach, all Brick can do is veer away, trying to avoid the bullets._

141. EXT. THOR, HIGH PLATFORM – DAY

_At the same time Nine-toes pulls down on the guns trigger, Roland ducks and charges towards him, picking him up in a strong tackle and smashing him against the side of the control room._

_Pushing Nine-toes away, Roland takes a small step backwards, but still keeps within arm's reach._

_Slightly dazed, Nine-toes swings his gun arm back around towards Roland and pulls the trigger numerous times._

_Before the gun is properly pointed at him, Roland deflects Nine-toes arm and the bullets sail wide._

_Grabbing Nine-toes arm, Roland pushes it around and smacks it against the wall hoping to make Nine-toes drop the gun._

_Nine-toes only increases his grip on the pistil, but in the process fires off another two bullets._

_While Roland is distracted with Nine-toes gun arm, Nine-toes takes advantage of this opening and strikes out with his free arm, punching Roland in the temple and bringing him onto his hands and knees right on the edge of the platform. Roland catches the metal hand railing to stop himself from going over._

142. EXT. SALT FLATS, OPEN FLATS – DAY

_Brick dodges to his right as a line of bullets peppers the ground, snaking its way towards his vehicle._

_Pushing down on the brake, he watches as the Bandit over-aims and the trail throws up puffs of dirt just in front of his Outrunner._

_While his Outrunner is going at barely a crawl, Brick leans over out the side of his vehicle and scoops up a rock_

_The bandit stops firing and pulls his gun back down, lining up a new shot._

_Taking advantage of the opening, Brick pumps down on the accelerator and moves his vehicle right next to the Bandit Outrider._

_It's not a proper ram, like with the car before, but the side of Bricks vehicle scrapes alongside the Outrider._

_From inside the Outrider, the driver looks over and eyes Brick down._

_Brick responds by flinging the rock at the Bandit. The rock flies for the Bandit's face, but he manages to raise an arm and deflect some of the damage._

_The rock still manages to graze the side of the bandit's face, causing his to veer away, out of rock tossing range._

_During his brief moment of respite, Brick looks back up towards Roland._

_Roland is still hanging onto the metal rail on his knees. As Roland watches from down below, Nine-toes grabs the back of Roland's collar and pulls him back, throwing him onto his back and out of sight._

143. EXT. THOR, HIGH PLATFORM – DAY

_Roland falls onto his back, curling his neck slightly to avoid banging his head against the steel ground._

_Nine-toes stands by his feet and aims the pistil at Roland._

_Throwing his leg to one side, Roland wraps his foot around Nine-toes leg and pulls forwards, sending Nine-toes flying backwards._

_Two more bullets are unintentionally fired as Nine-toes hits the ground tailbone first and rolls onto his back._

NINE_TOES

Hold him!

_Roland begins to roll onto his stomach but is stopped as the Bruiser grabs him and spins him back._

_As the Bruiser pins Roland's arms above his head, Nine-toes regains his feet and wanders around to Roland's side, aiming his pistil down and pulling the trigger._

_The gun clicks empty._

_Letting out a frustrated growl, Nine-toes hits the switch on the side, once more activating the mini saw._

_Struggling to escape the Bruiser's grasp, Roland rolls onto his side, his arms twisting unnaturally in the process. He's forced to roll back._

_Lunging forwards, Nine-toes gives Roland a hard boot in the side. He looks up at the Bruiser._

NINE-TOES

Keep him still!

_Changing his grip, the Bruiser releases Roland's arms and moves around, throwing himself on Roland's stomach, pinning his hips and legs to the ground._

_Roland tucks his arms into himself defensively and attempts to roll away but the Bruiser is too heavy and prevents him from moving. Exhausted, his arms fall to his side._

_Swooping down, Nine-toes throws himself onto Roland's chest, bringing his knee down on one of Roland's arms and swinging the deadly saw at Roland's face._

_Roland manages to bring his free arm up to catch nine-toes arm and pushes back with everything he's got._

_Roland may be stronger with each individual arm however as Nine-toes starts pushing down with both of his arm's, Roland's strength begins to give way._

_The saw slips closer and closer towards Roland's face. Roland attempts to turn his head away, but he's got almost no movement in his neck._

_The saw catches Roland's forehead, creating a thin opening just below his hairline. Roland manages to push the arm back, but the saw is barely millimetres from his face._

_Nine-toes lets out a grin as he puts even more weight behind his push. Roland resists, the muscles in his arms bulging and his face turning a deep red with the effort. It's only a matter of seconds before his defending arm gives way._

_A loud crack is heard and the pistil suddenly disappears as a bullet hits it and snatches it out Nine-toes grasp, causing him to jump back in surprise._

_The gun clatters across the steel floor, destroyed._

_Turning his head in the direction the bullet came from, Nine-toes looks out over the Salt Flats._

_After half a beat Roland follows his gaze._

_His eyes widen in a mixture of total surprise and complete amazement at what he sees._

144. EXT. SALT FLATS, OPEN FLATS – DAY

MORDECAI

Could you _please, _keep this bloody thing steady!

_Mordecai tears the sniper rifle from his eye and glares down at Lilith behind the wheel as their Outrunner bounces across the rocky ground towards Thor._

145. EXT. THOR, HIGH PLATFORM – DAY

_Nine-toes is still watching the newcomers, race towards the massive mining machine. His moment is brought to a sudden end as Roland swings his free arm around, connecting with Nine-toes face and sending him flying backwards, off of Roland._

_As Nine-toes disappears from between them, the Bruiser looks up at Roland. Having brought his punching arm back to rest at his side, Roland now leans forwards as far as he can and brings both hands around, fingers held open. He brings his hands together, smacking the Bruiser over his ears._

_The attack doesn't seem to have any effect what-so-ever. The Bruiser just stares back at Roland. A beat passes. Over to the side, Nine-toes regains his feet, holding a hand to his jaw._

_At a loss as to what else to do and already drained of pretty much all of his energy, Roland reaches back up to the Bruisers face with his right hand and slaps the massive bandit across the cheek._

146. EXT. SALT FLATS, OPEN FLATS – DAY

_Brick veers back across the front of Thor with the new bandit Outrider hot on his tail. A line of bullet holes pocket the ground around his vehicle and a few bounce off of the steel frame but miraculously, Brick remains un-hit. As he exits Thor's path and emerges around the side he throws on his breaks and drops back, falling in line with the rear tread._

_The bandit Outrider skids around the corner and turns his vehicle towards Roland, driving straight for him. The gunner up the top aims his gun at Brick. It's a pretty clear shot._

_Another loud crack is heard and the gunner slumps over the edge of the gunner pit, dead. The driver looks over his shoulder, confused as to the lack of gunfire coming from above him._

_Brick veers over slightly out of the Bandit's path, allowing him to drive past._

147. EXT. SALT FLATS, OPEN FLATS – DAY

_Mordecai pulls back on the small lever, ejecting the empty cartridge._

_He looks down at Lilith who is guiding their Outrunner directly towards the moving Thor._

_He leans down and shouts over the engine._

MORDECAI

Try to stick to the higher ground as long as possible.

_Lilith glances back and nods a quick confirmation._

_Looking back up at Thor, Mordecai raises the sniper to his eye._

_Through the scope he see's Roland on the high platform being lifted up by the Bruiser._

148. EXT. THOR, HIGH PLATFORM – DAY

_The Bruiser is grabbing Roland's collar with one hand._

_Bringing the other hand back, the Bruiser sends a fist into the side of Roland's face. The force causes Roland to fly out of the Bruisers grasp and hit the floor._

_Roland lets out a groan of pain as the Bruiser swoops down and grabs him by the back of the neck. Roland reaches behind his head with both hands and attempts to pry the Bruisers fingers from around his neck._

_Just to the side, Nine-toes spots something on the ground. Bending down he picks up the gun Roland lost earlier. Turning it over in his hands he steps in front of Roland._

149. EXT. SALT FLATS, OPEN FLATS – DAY

_Mordecai see's Nine-toes raise the gun and point it at Roland through his scope._

_His finger tightens on the trigger as he carefully lines up the shot to deal with Nine-toes._

_Suddenly the Outrunner hits a rock, which throws of Mordecai's aim and causes him to accidentally pull the trigger._

150. EXT. THOR, HIGH PLATFORM – DAY

_Nine-toes grins as he points the gun at Roland._

NINE-TOES

Au revoir, Monsieur Roland.

_Mordecai's stray bullet hits the Bruiser in the leg causing the bandit to fall, dragging Roland down with him._

_The fall is well timed as a number of Nine-toes bullets sail over his head._

_Leaping forwards, Roland grabs the barrel of the gun and tries to yank it out of Nine-toes hands._

_Nine-toes doesn't yield the gun that easily and a mini tug of war ensures, with Nine-toes firing off a round, which hits the platform just to Roland's side._

_During the tug of war, Roland manages to pull himself to his feet. As he and Nine-toes fight for the gun, Roland wraps his foot around Nine-toes ankle and pushes him back, sending Nine-toes falling onto his back, still attached to the gun and pulling Roland down with him._

_As they both hit the ground, the force causes them both to release the gun and it clatters across the ground, coming to a rest right in front of the ladder leading up to the highest platform of Thor._

_Scrambling across the ground, both men dart for the gun. Roland manages to edge out in front, but Nine-toes grabs his leg. Roland shakes him loose and dives towards the gun as Nine-toes pulls himself to his feet._

_Roland grabs the gun, standing up as he does so. Nine-toes is almost immediately on his back, reaching through Roland's arms for the gun._

_Roland's strikes back with an elbow causing Nine-toes to stumble backwards. With nowhere else to go, Roland jumps up the first few rungs of the ladder._

_Coming back at him, Nine-toes grabs Roland's leg and attempts to pull him down off the ladder._

_As his leg is pulled away from the ladder, Roland fires a shot downwards, not even bothering to look in the direction he's pointing the gun. The bullet is followed by a satisfying scream of pain and his leg is released._

_Pulling himself up a few more rungs, Roland swings himself around to look down at Nine-toes._

_Nine-toes is hopping backwards with blood oozing out of a new bullet hole in his right boot. It's by no means a fatal shot, but it's pretty clear Nine-toes won't be following Roland up the ladder. Roland lets out a victorious smile and calls down mockingly._

ROLAND

Henceforth, you shall be known… as Eight-toes.

_Nine-toes snarls back at Roland and tries to rush towards him, but the moment he puts pressure on his injured foot, he collapses to the ground in pain._

_Turning his back on Nine-toes, Roland continues up the ladder._

151. EXT. SALT FLATS, OPEN FLATS – DAY

_Mordecai and Lilith have almost reached Thor. Brick is near the back of the machine, grinding up against the bandit Outrider. Lilith looks back at Mordecai and calls out._

LILITH

Give me your pistil!

_Mordecai reaches down and pulls the pistil out of his belt, placing it in Lilith's outstretched hand._

_Lilith guides the Outrunner towards the bandit._

LILITH

Hold on. Just in case this doesn't work.

MORDECAI

In case what doesn't work?

_Lilith doesn't answer but her hand holding the gun is suddenly covered with a purple glow._

MORDECAI

Are you sure that's a good idea.

LILITH

I need to see what I can still do.

MORDECAI

Could you find out in a separate square mile to me? My ears are still ringing from your last attempt.

_Lilith pulls her vehicle next to the Bandit who looks over at her. Above Lilith, Mordecai aims with his rifle, but he's too close and can't get a good shot._

_Lilith aims the pistil at the bandit and pulls the trigger._

_It's not clear whether the bullet hits or not, however that small fact becomes insignificant next to what happens next._

_From the end of the pistil, the small burst of flame that generally accompanies a bullet firing fails to disappear. Instead it expands and shoots forwards, engulfing the Bandit driver and setting him alight._

_The flame quickly disappears but the damage is done. The Bandits shrieks as he burns and the Outrider falls back._

MORDECAI

What the hell was that?

LILITH

A trick I learnt a few years ago.

_Puling up next to Brick, Lilith slows down, prompting Brick to do so, allowing Thor to pull ahead. As they come to a stop, Mordecai jumps out of his vehicle. Before Brick has a chance to say anything, he leans into the Outrunner and starts asking…_

MORDECAI

Is there an easy way onto that thing?

BRICK

Roland went up a ladder on the side.

MORDECAI

Can you take me there?

BRICK

I suppose.

MORDECAI

Make it happen.

_Mordecai turns back to Lilith._

MORDECAI

If you want to 'test', try seeing if you can help that man we saw back there.

_Mordecai points in Marcus's direction._

LILITH

Where are you going?

MORDECAI

To give Roland a firm kick up the backside for leaving me behind earlier.

_Mordecai jumps onto Brick's Outrunner, leaning down and taping the man on the shoulder as he does._

MORDECAI

Lets go.

152. THOR, FLYNT'S PLATFORM – DAY

_Roland pulls himself up the last few rungs of the ladder, collapsing onto Thor's highest platform. He's out of breath, his arms are burning and his legs don't have much energy left._

_The platform in front of him is a reasonable size. Two large crates sit in front of him. To his right is a small alcove, which holds what looks like a service elevator. Off to the left, beyond the crates is a small raised area along the back. A way up to it extends off and down one side of the platform._

_On the raised area, sat on what appears to be a throne, is Flynt. As Roland emerges from the ladder, Flynt stands up. Next to him, on the floor, Tannis sits, chained and gagged._

FLYNT

Ah, a guest! Please come into my humble abode and make yourself at home. I can see you've been making the most of my… hospitality.

_Roland steps towards the nearest crate and leans himself against it._

ROLAND

Your butlers' suck.

_Flynt smiles and pulls a double-barrelled shotgun from next to his throne._

FLYNT

Well I wouldn't want to come across as a bad host, now. I hope you find my personal services, much more fulfilling.

_He aims the shotgun at Roland. Quickly, Roland holds up a hand._

ROLAND

Wait! Give me a minute.

_Flynt still holds the gun pointed at Roland but holds off on pulling the trigger. Roland leans forwards, putting his hands on his knees and breaths heavily, still trying to catch his breath from his tussle with Nine-toes._

153. SALT FLATS, OPEN FLATS – DAY

_Marcus peers out the top of his gunner's pit. Around him three bandit Outriders have parked around his stationary vehicle, and five bandits are moving on foot towards him, spraying various bursts of bullets against the steel exterior of the vehicle._

_The moment Marcus reveals his head, the bullets are all redirected towards him, forcing him to duck back down._

_Marcus hears the roar of an engine._

_Outside, Lilith's Outrunner speeds towards the Bandits. All five turn to face it, but stop dead. The Outrunner has no-one behind the wheel._

_Moving around slightly, they try to look around the Outrunner, to see if there's anyone behind it. As they do the Outrunner coasts past them, moving slowly through the flats._

_Suddenly two of the bandits are thrown through the air as Lilith reappears. As they hit the ground hard, the other three turn towards the Siren._

_She holds out both arms and a purple shield of energy forms in front of her as the remaining Bandits fire their weapons._

_Their bullets hit the purple force field and fall to the ground harmlessly. After a while the bandits stop their firing._

_Lilith reaches down and pulls out the pistil Mordecai handed her earlier, the force field disappearing the moment she moves her hand. As she points the gun at the bandit's her wrist and hand ore once more covered in a purple glow._

_She fires a single bullet, but once more causes a tongue of flame to shoot out, engulfing the three remaining bandits._

_Holstering the gun, she turns her head in the direction of Thor._

LILITH

Dare you to call me useless again.

154. EXT. THOR, FLYNT'S PLATFORM – DAY

_Roland is still hunched over his knees. Up on the raised area, Flynt points the shotgun at him._

_A beat passes where nothing happens._

FLYNT

I knew you were lying to me before. How long have you been looking for the key?

_Roland straightens up, looking confused._

ROLAND

Key?.. I'm after the girl.

_Flynt looks over at Tannis to his left._

FLYNT

You've gone to an awful lot of effort to rescue this woman.

ROLAND

Lets hope she puts out.

FLYNT

I'm afraid you wont get the chance to find out.

_He pulls the trigger on the shotgun sending two bullets flying towards Roland. Hearing the gunshot, Roland ducks around behind the crate as the steel next to where he was standing warps from the impact._

_Roland presses his back hard up against the crate._

ROLAND

And we were just getting to know each other.

_Swinging up the gun he's holding, Roland sneaks over to the other side of the crate and pokes his head out. Seeing Flynt's shotgun aimed directly at him he pulls it back as a section of the corner of the crate is blown off by a shotgun blast._

_Quickly, Roland jumps round the corner and prepares to fire off a shot, but he doesn't get a chance as the shotgun is once again pointed in his direction. Cursing, he jumps back as another pair of bullets impacts against the crate._

ROLAND

What happened to the reload?

_Suddenly he hears a soft clinking to his side. Looking over, his eyes widen as he sees the grenade rolling across the ground._

ROLAND

SHIT!

_He jumps around the side of the crate as the grenade explodes, sending shrapnel flying through the air._

_This immediately exposes him to Flynt who fires another round. It's a near shot, but Roland throws himself into a roll at the last second and the shot flies high._

_Coming out of the roll, Roland fires a burst back at Flynt who is forced to duck behind his throne._

_Roland fires for another moment before his face drops as his gun clicks empty. He mutters to himself._

ROLAND

That's it? Why can't I ever steal a full gun?

_Hearing the click of an empty gun, Flynt steps out from around his throne and raises the shotgun at Roland._

155. EXT. SALT FLATS, OPEN FLATS – DAY

_Brick drives away from Thor, his backseat now empty. He looks back at Thor where Mordecai is making his way up the same ladder Roland did earlier, sniper slung over his back._

156. EXT. THOR, FLYNT'S PLATFORM – DAY

_Roland ditches his empty gun in Flynt's direction. The gun bumps the barrel of the shotgun as Flynt fires of a shot, causing the bullets to fly high._

_Making the most of the short time he has, Roland bolts towards the back of the platform. He takes the run a bit fast and somehow manages to trip over his own feet._

_Stumbling sideways, his erratic movements allow him to unintentionally dodge another blast from Flynt and he reaches out towards a small pedestal to regain his balance._

_Grabbing the pedestal, he pushes down on the button on top of it without realising. A loud screeching noise is heard._

_Quickly putting a crate between himself and Flynt, Roland looks over towards the noise and sees the elevator at the back of the platform slowly lowering itself._

157. EXT. SALT FLATS, OPEN FLATS – DAY

_Lilith speeds back towards Thor with Marcus inhabiting her gunner's pit._

_Hearing the roar of an engine to her left, she looks over and spots two new Outriders full of Bandits speeding towards Thor._

_She turns back towards Marcus and indicates towards the machine gun attached to the top of her vehicle._

LILITH

How good are you with that gun?

MARCUS

Recent circumstances have forced me to improve drastically.

LILITH

Good.

_She angles her Outrunner slightly towards the new Bandits._

MARCUS

But… wait… I did not say I was that good!

_Lilith does not change course. In frustration, Marcus swears under his breath._

158. EXT. THOR, FLYNT'S PLATFORM – DAY

_With the elevator lowered a section of the platform that was previously hidden behind it is revealed. Roland is currently pushed up against the back of his crate, desperately searching for ideas. Getting impatient of waiting for Roland to poke his head out, Flynt's has started making his way down the ramp towards Roland._

FLYNT

Did you honestly think you could break into the fortress of the Great Baron Flynt and live to see the next day?

_Hearing the voice coming from the side of the platform, rather than the back, Roland starts to edge around, away from it._

ROLAND

… … … Yes?

FLYNT

If it makes you feel any better, your death will not be in vain. I will use this as an example for anyone else who might get the same foolish idea.

ROLAND

You know, I'm not really here to fight you. All I want is Tannis.

FLYNT

The girl holds secrets I'm afraid I cannot give up.

ROLAND

Yeah. The coordinates to Sanctuary.

FLYNT

No. She knows things much more important than that. I will not allow you to take her. Not until I have found the vault.

ROLAND

Never mind then; I need her now. Guess I am here to fight you.

_Flynt appear around the corner and immediately fires off a shot as Roland disappears around the corner, placing him in the small area between the two crates._

_Reaching down he picks up a piece of shrapnel from the grenade thrown earlier and tosses it around the far corner, back towards the ramp._

_Hearing the noise, Flynt spins around in the direction it came from, putting his back to Roland who immediately runs out and across the metal grate, which has replaced the floor where the elevator previously was._

_Flynt spins back around and fires his shotgun at Roland but the shot flies wide._

_Roland reaches the edge of the platform, near the front of Thor and looks around for somewhere else to go, but he's out of luck. Flynt knows this._

FLYNT

Nowhere else to run now, boy. You're mine.

_Roland quickly looks left and right before quickly glancing down. He spins back to Flynt._

ROLAND

Run? No. But I've heard this planet's low gravity can make you a brilliant jumper.

_With that Roland jumps backwards, off the platform and out of sight. Annoyed at having lost him, Flynt speeds forwards to the edge of the platform and looks down._

_Roland has landed on the arm of the mining vehicle and is quickly dashing up it in the direction of the circular digger attached to the front._

_Flynt fires off a shot. As the bullets fly wide, he growls, holds the shotgun up and leaps down after Roland._

158. EXT. SALT FLATS, OPEN FLATS – DAY

_A loud scraping noise coming from within Thor grabs Bricks attention. Looking over he slows down his Outrunner and pulls it in behind the massive mining vehicle._

_As he looks between the treads he sees the elevator Roland unintentionally sent down earlier poking down from the underside of Thor and scraping along the ground as Thor continues to move forwards over the Salt Flats._

_Quickly looking around, Brick aims his Outrunner towards the elevator and pushes down on the accelerator._

_His outrunner rockets forwards towards the elevator. As the front wheels mount the slightly raised platform, Brick isn't entirely ready for the sudden change of speed as his Outrunner flies forwards onto the platform, hits the far edge and bounces back._

_Briefly losing control of the vehicle, Brick only just avoids being squashed as his Outrunner swerves towards the small gap between the front and rear tread._

_Realigning himself, brick tries again, this time readjusting his speed just as he's about to mount the platform._

_As his front wheels go up, he almost loses control and his vehicle swerves to the side._

_With his front wheels now resting on the elevator, he works the accelerator just enough to keep the Outrunner in the same position as he pulls the straps, fastened around his waist and chest, off._

_Taking a deep breath, he gives the accelerator one last pump sending the outrunner forwards slightly, before jumping out of his seat and climbing over the front of the vehicle._

_With no more power going to the back wheels, the Outrunner immediately falls back, the front wheel leaving the platform as Brick jumps._

_It's a messy landing, as his legs give way as he hits the platform on his side, but Brick eventually stands up on the elevator and pushes the small green button on one of the walls instructing the elevator to rise._

159. EXT. THOR, ARM – DAY

_Roland is about half way up the arm of Thor as another shotgun blast rings out. Quickly checking himself for unwanted holes he turns around and sees Flynt following him up the thin path leading towards the large round digger._

_Spinning back Roland continues to run towards the end of the arm. It doesn't take him long to reach a fork in the path as he reaches the large circular device, with both options extending around to either side of the digger._

_Roland opts for the left hand fork and moves forwards towards the end._

160. EXT. THOR, FLYNT'S PLATFORM – DAY

_The elevator comes to a stop at the top of Thor and Brick steps off onto the area where Roland was previously fighting Flynt._

_Quickly looking around, Brick fails to notice Tannis, but sees the ladder Roland used to get up to that platform. Racing over to it, Brick swings himself over the edge and drops down._

161. EXT. THOR, HIGH PLATFORM – DAY

_Nine-toes has moved off from this platform. As Brick lands he notices the door leading into the control room and decides to check it out._

162. INT. THOR, CONTROL ROOM – DAY

_Brick enters through the only door. This time he doesn't get a chance to look around as the Bruiser tackles him from the side._

_Despite having a slight limp from Mordecai's gunshot earlier, the Bruiser still manages to retain quite a bit of movement._

_Brick hits the wall and immediately throws a fist around, punching the Bruiser in the chest. The Bruiser moves back slightly from the impact and Brick uses this chance to twist his body towards the Bruiser._

_Grabbing the Bruiser on both shoulders, Brick throws the bandit sideways, towards the wall, causing the Bruiser to smash his head against it._

163. EXT. THOR, ARM – DAY

_Roland comes to the end of the walkway and is faced with a dead end. Looking back he sees Flynt reach the junction and slow down to a walk._

_With nothing better to do, Roland begins to walk back along the walkway towards Flynt._

_As Flynt comes level with the edge of the large bucket wheel, he stops and raises the shotgun, aiming it point blank at Roland._

164. INT. THOR, CONTROL ROOM – DAY

_Brick is once more slammed against the wall. Pushing back, he shoves the Bruiser into the door of the control room, which slams closed as the Bruiser stumbles back._

_Brick races forwards, but the Bruiser regains his feet and lowers himself onto his haunches. As Brick hits him, the bruiser wraps his thick arms around Brick's waist and pushes up, lifting the large man over his shoulders and falls backwards landing on top of him._

165. EXT. THOR, HIGH PLATFORM – DAY

_Mordecai rounds the back of Thor coming onto the high platform. He steals a quick glance towards the closed door of the control room before moving towards the ladder leading up to Flynt's platform._

166. INT. THOR, CONTROL ROOM – DAY

_Throwing punches at one another, brick and the bruiser move towards the front of the control room._

_As they reach the front, the Bruiser grabs bricks head and slams it into the control panel._

167. EXT. THOR, ARM – DAY

_Flynt is about to pull the trigger when his attention is suddenly stolen by a deafening noise._

_Next to him, the massive circular digger begins to spin, backwards. An upturned bucket raises next to him and disappears into the large shield a few meters above him._

_As the sudden movement of the digger distracts Flynt, Roland barrels forwards and sweeps the bandit leader off of his feet._

_As they hit the ground, the shotgun goes off harmlessly. Roland grabs the end of the shotgun and yanks it out of Flynt's hands. Unable to get a decent grasp on the weapon, he loses it off of the side of the walkway and it drops towards the ground below._

168. EXT. FLYNT'S PLATFORM – DAY

_Near the top of the ladder, Mordecai also hears the circular digger begin to spin. Looking over towards the noise he sees Roland picking himself up._

MORDECAI

What the hell are you…

_He begins to mutter to himself but stops and instead makes it to the top of the ladder as fast as he can._

_At the top he finds the elevator blocking his view of Roland. Quickly he dashes to the other side of the platform to see if he can find a better view._

_A noise coming from behind him causes him to swing around._

_Up on the raised platform, he spots Tannis chained up, next to Flynt's throne._

_She looks over towards Mordecai with pleading eyes._

_Finding the bottom of the ramp, Mordecai moves towards Tannis._

169. EXT. SALT FLATS, OPEN FLATS – DAY

_Marcus fires his turret at the bandits as Lilith steers their Outrunner towards the two new arrivals. One of the bandits held onto the side of the nearest Outrider falls to the ground._

_Hearing the clatter of gunfire and having lost one of their own, the bandit gunners both immediately spin their turrets towards Marcus and fire back._

_Marcus almost immediately stops his firing and ducks into his gunner's pit._

_Having got their attention, Lilith throws the outrunner into a handbrake turn and starts speeding back towards Thor._

170. EXT. THOR, FLYNT'S PLATFORM – DAY

_Mordecai reaches Tannis and quickly checks out the chains holding her to the throne._

_Pulling out his sniper he takes a step backwards._

MORDECAI

Hold still.

_He fires a bullet into the chain, releasing Tannis, who quickly rids herself of the chain and throws it onto the ground. As she does so she indicates to a small brown sack on the other side of Flynt's throne._

TANNIS

Pass me that. Over there, quick.

_Mordecai rounds the throne and pulls the sack open pulling out a strangely shaped object. Part of the top is round, but it looks like it has been broken, with sharp, staggered edges connecting both ends of the round portion._

_Below the base, the object seems to form one third of what looks like a cone of chaotic shapes and lines, with sections jutting out of one another. The object is reasonably solid, but at the same time has the feel of a precious glass._

_As Mordecai pulls it out of the sack, it begins to glow._

MORDECAI

Shiny.

_He places the object back into the sack and turns back to Tannis._

MORDECAI

Are you all right?

_Tannis has managed to pull herself to her feet and is looking down at the elevator below her._

TANNIS

We need to get out of here.

MORDECAI

Not just yet. I have a friend who needs his arse saving… again.

_Tannis stares back at Mordecai stunned by his response._

171. EXT. THOR, ARM – DAY

_Flynt throws a punch at Roland. Despite his smaller frame, he still has some strength behind him._

_Roland deflects the punch and grabs Flynt's arm in the process, twisting it and spinning Flynt around. Flynt lashes back with his foot, hitting Roland in the stomach, pushing him back and causing him to release Flynt's arm._

_Flynt immediately rushes forwards, and grabs Roland's shoulders, trying to slam his head against the side of the railing._

172. EXT. SALT FLATS, OPEN FLATS – DAY

_Lilith has reached Thor. Pulling out in front of Thor, she slows down and waits for the bandit Outriders to appear._

_It doesn't take long for the first to show up. Marcus immediately fires, as bullets are returned._

_Lilith pulls her vehicle closer allowing Marcus to take out the gunner. As he does so, Lilith aims her pistil at the driver and a ball of flame engulfs him._

_With no-one driving the Outrider swerves left and right before arching past Lilith and slamming into the front tread of Thor._

_The giant mining machine rolls right over the outrider._

173. EXT. THOR, ARM – DAY

_Flynt has Roland by the shoulders and Roland grips right back. As the two men struggle to throw each other off of the walkway, Thor suddenly shakes as it rolls over the bandit Outrider._

_Both Roland and Flynt are caught off balance and flung to the inside edge of the walkway, hitting the railing separating them from the circular digger._

_The thin railing gives way under the weight of both men hitting it and they both plunge over the edge._

_Still holding on to one another they land on the underside of one of the large buckets, which is moving upwards._

_Flynt immediately rolls down the bucket to the small crevice where it connects to the wheel. Roland rolls the other way and almost finds himself sliding off of the bucket towards a massive drop._

_Quickly spinning onto his stomach, he digs his fingers into the smooth surface of the bucket, just trying to keep himself on it._

_The bucket moves upwards and enters the large shield, which covers the top, rear section of the circular digger._

174. EXT. THOR, FLYNT'S PLATFORM – DAY

_Mordecai watches Roland disappear into the shielding through his scope._

MORDECAI

Damn!

_Down below him Tannis stands just in front of the elevator holding the brown sack. She turns back to Mordecai._

TANNIS

I can't believe you're going to stay here and wait for more bandits to come. You know there's a perfectly good elevator that will get us off of this thing.

MORDECAI

You are more than welcome to take it.

_Tannis stares at him for a moment longer, before turning her heels and walking onto the elevator, pushing the button to take her down._

_Still stood on Flynt's throne so that he could see over the elevator, Mordecai rolls his eyes at the woman._

175. INT. THOR, CONTROL ROOM – DAY

_Brick and the Bruiser continue to pummel the living daylights out of one another._

_Brick throws a punch at the Bruisers face, which stuns the bandit and knocks him back, however the Bruiser quickly recovers and speeds towards Brick, throwing him against the nearby wall and sending two massive fists into Bricks gut._

_While Brick is still winded, he is thrown across the room. Holding up both arms, he catches the wall on the far side of the small room and uses it to keep from going to the floor._

_Pushing off of the wall he sidesteps as the bruiser charges him again and sends an elbow into the bandits face._

_The Bruiser ends up on the ground, but quickly lashes out with his right leg, taking out Brick's ankle and bringing the big man to the ground as well._

_The Bruiser rolls over, positioning himself above Brick and slamming a fist into Bricks cheek._

_Brick responds by sending a fist towards the Bruiser's temple, which manages to knock him off._

_Sliding back a few feet, Brick uses the control panel to pull himself back to his feet._

_He takes a few deep breaths as the Bruiser also pulls himself up. The bandit does not take a moment to recover however, and immediately rushes Brick, who raises an arm defensively as the Bruiser crashes into him._

_As he already had one arm resting on the control panel, it slides back as the bruiser smacks into him, pushing four levers forwards._

_Thor immediately starts to slow down._

176. INT. THOR, DIGGER SHEILD – DAY

_The suddenly inertia of Thor slowing down throws Roland forwards from the bucket, which is now nearing the top of the wheel._

_Bouncing along the curved surface of the steel wheel, he finds himself falling towards the open trough of the bucket below the one he was on before._

_As he hits the inside of the bucket, he's suddenly exposed to daylight again as the bucket exits the shield at the front of Thor._

_The bucket begins its journey down the front of the wheel._

_Having maintained better balance than Roland, Flynt runs along the wheel of the circular digger towards Roland's bucket._

_Roland is still recovering from his tumble when Flynt hits him and slams his head against the bottom of the bucket._

177. EXT. SALT FLATS, OPEN FLATS – DAY

_Tannis is till recovering from being thrown flat against the forward facing wall of the elevator. As she starts to peel herself off, the rear facing wall of the elevator opens up as it emerges from the underside of Thor._

_Although Thor has slowed down, its still rolling across the landscape at a reasonable speed. Tannis steps forwards to judge whether or not to jump._

_The bottom of the elevator hits its lowest level and begins to grind along the surface of the flats. In response Tannis throws herself against the back wall as the elevator begins to shake violently._

178. EXT. THOR, CIRCULAR DIGGER – DAY

_The buckets is angled at about forty-five degree's and is around a third of the way down the digger's wheel. As it lowers itself and rotates around horizontally, Roland and Flynt continue to punch and kick at one another._

_Holding Roland against the wall of the bucket, Flynt aims a fist for his head. Roland ducks at the last moment and Flynt's fist hits steel instead._

_As Flynt cries out in pain and shakes a throbbing fist, Roland tackles him against the back of the bucket. Flynt falls to the ground where he receives a sharp kick in the side by Roland._

_Roland kneels down, taking in massive gulps of air, each one clearly causing him a lot of pain._

ROLAND

This is ridiculous.

179. EXT. THOR, HIGH PLATFORM – DAY

_Mordecai picks himself up from the high platform, where he'd been thrown when Thor slowed down. Looking to his right, he spots his sniper lying on the floor. He reaches over and grabs it. Moving to the front of the platform, he looks over in the direction of the circular digger, trying to se if he can spot Roland._

180. EXT. SALT FLATS, OPEN FLATS – DAY

_Tannis has planted herself in the corner of the elevator, as far from the opening as she can get._

_Through the opening a bandit Outrider is seen, coming around the side of Thor and speeding underneath it._

_Behind the bandits, Lilith speeds around from the side of Thor and follows, Marcus's turret throwing bursts of bullets towards it._

_Avoiding the bullets, the bandits dodge around the elevator, followed closely by Lilith._

_Deciding she's been sat there long enough, Tannis reaches out towards the button to take the elevator back up to the top._

181. EXT. THOR, CIRCULAR DIGGER – DAY

_The bucket is now making its way down the lower half of the wheel and has started to angle downwards, threatening to tip both Roland and Flynt out._

_Flynt suddenly races forwards and catches Roland unprepared, pushing him backwards towards the massive drop._

_Roland stumbles backwards and hits the tipped edge of the bucket. Because of the angle he stumbled back from he flips over the edge of the bucket backwards and only just manages to catch the edge with his fingertips._

_Hanging over the edge of the bucket, Roland looks down at the ground below him. He looks far too high to survive._

_Flynt appears over the edge of the bucket, looking down at Roland._

FLYNT

I'm sorry to say, this is where your visit comes to an end.

_Raising his leg, he brings it down on Roland's fingers._

182. INT. THOR, CONTROL ROOM – DAY

_Brick grabs the Bruisers wrist and brings his elbow down over the Bruiser's arm. A satisfying crack rings out as the bones in the Bruiser's arm snap._

_Letting out a roar of pain, the Bruiser lashes out with his good arm and tries to knock Brick back, but Brick ducks under it and punches the Bruiser in the leg, where the bullet hole from earlier is._

_Falling forwards, the Bruiser falls onto the control panel, pushing down on buttons as he scrambles to keep his balance._

183. EXT. THOR, CIRCULAR DIGGER – DAY

_The circular digger suddenly stops, throwing Flynt back into the bucket and almost causing Roland to lose his grip._

_Almost immediately it begins to spin in the correct direction, the bucket moving upwards and carrying Roland with it._

_Its moving a lot faster now than it was before. Flynt scrambles to regain his feet at the bottom of the bucket._

_As the bucket moves beyond the mid point of the wheel, Roland glances down again and judges his aim, before letting go of his bucket and dropping into the bucket that has appeared below him._

184. INT. THOR, CONTROL ROOM – DAY

_Brick grabs the Bruisers head and smashes it against the control panel._

_Finally having had enough, the Bruiser drops to the ground and remains there motionless._

_Brick stays long enough to spit on the Bruiser before stepping out of the door, back onto the high platform._

185. EXT. THOR, CIRCULAR DIGGER – DAY

_Roland looks up to see Flynt pulling himself onto the edge of his bucket. As his bucket nears the top of the circular digger, Flynt jumps forwards and climbs onto the shield, dropping and rolling over onto his back as he lands._

_Deciding that's where he wants to go, Roland jumps and grabs the top edge of his bucket. Lifting himself up, he throws his arms over and pulls his torso over the edge as the bucket nears the top of the digger and the start of the shield._

_Roland only just manages to pull his legs up as his bucket hits the shield and he leaps forwards, landing next to Flynt._

_Flynt immediately leans over and grabs Roland's leg, pulling his feet out from under him. Roland falls onto the shielding and starts to slide down the arched steel._

_Rolling onto his stomach he pulls himself to his feet and scrambles back up the slope towards Flynt. As he nears the top, Flynt kicks out attempting to push Roland off the edge._

_Roland stumbles back a few steps and deliberately falls forwards to stop himself from flying back._

_During this time, Flynt regains his feet and stands up._

_Roland makes his way back to the top of the shielding and raises an arm to block a punch thrown by Flynt._

_Flynt throws his other arm into Rolands stomach, causing him to double over. He pushes Roland to the side of the shield, trying to push him off the edge._

_Roland doesn't have enough energy left to really stop Flynt and the back of his feet hangs off the edge of the shielding as he starts to push back._

_Flynt pushes harder and one of Roland's feet slips off of the edge. He grabs for Flynt, managing to catch his shirt as his foot falls and his knee painfully hits the edge of the shielding._

_Losing his grip on Flynt's shirt, his other foot gives way and they both go over the edge. Roland lands on his stomach, with his lower body hanging free over the side of the circular digger._

_Smiling, Flynt places a foot on Roland's shoulder and prepares to push._

_A loud crack rings out and a sniper bullet passes through Flynt's thigh, causing him to hop back, crying out in pain._

_Roland pushes himself up, using what little energy reserves he has. Another sniper bullet is fired. This one catches the side of Flynt's face, tearing a gash in his cheek._

_Pulling himself up onto the shielding, Roland rolls onto his back and kicks out, pushing Flint towards the back of the shielding._

_Flynt stumbled backwards, losing his footing as he puts pressure on his injured leg._

_Falling backwards he rolls, head over heels, down the shielding. Reaching out a hand he catches the thin railing right down the bottom, but fails to hold on._

_Falling a good few meters he bounces off of one of the upturned buckets before disappearing underneath Thor._

_Roland shakily stands up and looks over towards Flynt's platform where Mordecai is stood on top of the raised elevator, lowering his sniper rifle. Roland calls over to him._

ROLAND

What took you so long?

MORDECAI

I thought you were dead. Where'd you go during the space battle?

_Roland's about to answer but the sound of an explosion causes him to look down._

_Far below him, Lilith's Outrunner speeds past the second of the new bandits' vehicle, now a flaming wreck._

_Roland looks back up at Mordecai._

ROLAND

Perhaps that's a question best answered when I find a way down from here.

_Standing at the top of the massive mining vehicle, Roland starts to look for a safe way down from his position as Thor continues to move over the uneven surface of the Salt Flats._


	12. The Hunter and the Soldier

This is one of two transition chapters which will close out the second act. Lots of exposition here, but the next chapter will contain plenty of action. Not much more I can say here without spoiling things. Hope you enjoy. We're getting close to the end now.

* * *

186. EXT. SALT FLATS, OPEN FLATS – DAY

_Roland is sat on the ground, leant up against a rock. Behind him, Thor sits motionless on the Salt Flats, the circular digger now no longer spinning. Looking slightly to his left he sees Lilith pull up her Outrunner nearby. Marcus is more than eager to climb down out of the vehicle._

_From the direction of Thor, Mordecai's voice rings out._

MORDECAI

Why do you constantly insist on running into danger?

_Mordecai makes his way over the flats towards Roland. As he reaches Roland, he extends a hand and helps him up._

ROLAND

Why do you constantly insist on running away?

MORDECAI

I'm rather fond of being not dead.

ROLAND

Right. You know, I've had the opportunity recently to give mortality a good hard thinking over.

_Mordecai raises an eyebrow, slightly amused._

MORDECAI

Oh? And?

_Far from the response Mordecai was expecting, Roland simply shrugs his shoulders._

ROLAND

It's over-rated.

_Mordecai can't help but let out a small chuckle. From one side Marcus stumbles into frame, his face a pale white, eyes still wide from the previous battle._

_He gives Roland a dirty look._

MARCUS

My friend… Consider my services rescinded.

_He storms off._

_Mordecai watches him for a moment. Roland however looks around at Lilith._

ROLAND

Still dragging around your new girlfriend.

_Mordecai looks understandably annoyed at Roland's comment._

MORDECAI

She's not my girlfriend.

_He's starting to get a bit sick of constantly having to make this clear._

MORDECAI

What the hell were you doing here, anyway?

ROLAND

Trying to get to Sanctuary.

_Mordecai pauses for a moment and looks over at Thor, trying to work out how attacking the mining machine was supposed to lead to that goal. After a beat he breaks the bad news to Roland._

MORDECAI

Well you can forget that idea. Sanctuary has been taken over by the Lance.

_Roland's jaw tightens as he hears this. He holds back a string of curses, finally settling for something a little more family friendly._

ROLAND

God-dammit!

_Mordecai's next piece of news doesn't improve Roland's sudden bad mood._

MORDECAI

Honestly, that's hardly your biggest problem though. The Bandits have set up an encampment in the pass that makes this…

_He indicates to Thor._

MORDECAI (CONT.)

…look like a scouting party. We took the high road in, but unless you have wings, there's a few sections which make it impossible to head back that way.

_Roland takes a moment to digest the information, pacing back and forth._

ROLAND

So what brings you to the middle of nowhere?

MORDECAI

Me? I'm looking for…

_Before he can finish his sentence, Brick, who has made it over to them after climbing down from Thor, cuts him off._

BRICK

MORDY!

_Brick races over to Mordecai and scoops the thin man up in a big bear hug. Not knowing his own strength, Brick squeezes Mordecai almost to the point of bursting. Mordecai squirms to get loose of the giant's grip._

MORDECAI

All right. Hey Brick.

_Off to the side, Roland's face drops to one of disbelief as he watches Brick wrap his arms around Mordecai._

ROLAND

Hey! Hey-hey! Where was my hug?

_Mordecai manages to peer around Bricks arm as he answers._

MORDECAI

You didn't spend six weeks locked up in a cell with him.

_Roland's jaw hangs open._

ROLAND

I got you OUT of that cell!

_Brick finally releases Mordecai and lowers him back onto the ground._

MORDECAI

It's worth remembering how we ended up in there in the first place.

_Roland simply can't believe what he's hearing._

ROLAND

Unbelievable!

_He indicates towards Tannis._

ROLAND

I'm going to talk to someone who appreciates my services.

_Roland turns and starts walking towards Tannis. Brick wanders over after him leaving Mordecai alone for a moment._

_Sneaking up behind Mordecai, Lilith playfully teases the nickname she's just heard._

LILITH

Mordy?

_Mordecai spins around and points a warning finger._

MORDECAI

Don't ever call me that.

_His tone is serious, but not threatening._

_Lilith laughs it off._

LILITH

Sure thing… Mords

MORDECAI

Do I have to get my gun out again?

187. EXT. SALT FLATS, OPEN FLATS – DAY

_Tannis is sat down on her haunches away from the group slightly. She's hunched over the brown sack, pulling it open to look at the strange object inside._

_Roland approaches her from behind._

ROLAND

So when can I get the coordinates to Sanctuary from you?

_Pulling the sack closed, Tannis spins around to face Roland. Her glare in icy._

TANNIS

Why I am giving you the reward for a task you failed to complete?

ROLAND

Failed to complete? Hang on. I just saved your life!

TANNIS

The task was not to "save me". I asked you to recover a precious item.

_Tannis quickly glances down at the sack._

TANNIS

And you couldn't do it. I had to get it back myself.

ROLAND

Right. Yeah! Sure. I see. You planned to get kidnapped the whole time. Is that right?

_The look Tannis gives Roland could make Einstein feel stupid._

TANNIS

No. I didn't plan on getting kidnapped. I was kidnapped because they followed you. And you followed that stupid Claptrap… And Flynt also mentioned something about a white haired woman – and all of this is very good reason for me not to reward your complete failure.

God day, sir!

_She strides off, leaving Roland stood there, speechless. Brick walks up and stands next to Roland, placing a hand on his shoulder._

ROLAND

I don't suppose the bandits will take her back?

_As they stand there, Marcus's voice rings out from the direction of the Outrunner he's stood next to, causing everyone in the immediate area to look his way._

MARCUS

I do not mean to cut this reunion short, but could we please leave this place before more bandits show up to kill us.

188. EXT. FYRESTONE, OPEN AREA – DAY

_SHEP SANDERS is thrown to the ground. Sending up a small cloud of dust as he lands, he turns over and looks up at the crowd of people surrounding him._

189. EXT. FYRESTONE, MAIN GATE – DAY

_The first Fyrestone Outrunner rolls through the gate driven by Brick. Tannis is sat in the gunners pit and Roland hangs off the side._

_As they enter through the gate, Roland notices the crowd surrounding Shep and jumps off. Brick turns the Outrunner right and moves behind the buildings to park it._

_Noticing the group arrive, Dr Zed strides out of his shelter and makes his way towards Roland._

_Meanwhile, the second Outrunner pulls through the gate. Lilith drives with Marcus sat in the gunners seat and Mordecai hung off the side._

_Mordecai jumps down and gives the group a quick look before walking away towards Marcus's bar, giving them a wide berth. Marcus jumps up and clambers over the side of the vehicle, forcing Lilith to bring it to a stop._

_As Dr Zed approaches Roland, Roland calls over to him._

ROLAND

What's going on?

_He looks over towards the crowd._

DR ZED

We caught this young lad reporting your position to the bandits shortly after you left.

_Roland glances over at Marcus as he puts himself next to Zed._

ROLAND

That would explain how they were ready for us.

_Not waiting for a response, Roland strides over towards the crowd._

190. EXT. FYRESTONE, OPEN AREA – DAY

_Roland pushes his way through the crowd and stares down at Shep. Instantly recognising him, Shep scrambles backwards, trying to put as much distance between himself and Roland as the surrounding crowd will allow._

ROLAND

Apparently you helped get a lot of good people killed today.

_Reaching down to his waist he pulls out a small pistil, recovered from Thor._

_Seeing the gun emerge, Shep's eyes widen with fear._

SHEP

No! Please! Wait! I didn't have a choice!

_Roland bends his knees and sits down on his haunches, looking Shep dead in the eye._

SHEP

They have my family. Please! They said they'd kill my parents if I didn't do it. Th-th… The big one… He said he'd skin them and use it to make a tent.

_Roland glares Shep down for a moment before aiming the pistil he's holding at Shep's face. Shep lets out a terrified cry._

SHEP

NO!

ROLAND

What is it they wanted you to do?

SHEP

They wanted to know what you were doing. Who you were talking to. I told them you went to visit Tannis and your friend saw T.K. I didn't know they would kill him. You have to believe me! Please!

ROLAND

Oh come on. Surely you suspected they might.

SHEP

I… I… …

_Shep's silence tells the audience that he quite possibly more than suspected. He closes his eyes and a defeated tear rolls down his cheek. The sound of Roland sliding the pistil back into his holster causes him to open them again._

_Roland stands up, towering above Shep. He mutters to himself._

ROLAND

It really is every man for himself on this planet.

_Adjusting his gaze to look back down at Shep, he softens his voice slightly._

ROLAND

My parents were killed about twelve years ago.

_He looks around at the crowd surrounding Shep._

ROLAND

I'm not sure how forgiving these people are, but I would suggest you find a way off this planet and as far from here as possible.

_As Roland talks, the crowd slowly moves around so that they are all on the one side of Shep, leaving him an opening to leave through. Shep's face swaps from that of fear to one of relief as he listens to Roland. He doesn't move for a beat. Roland leans down towards him._

ROLAND

And I'd be doing it pretty damn quic…

_BANG!_

_Sheps head explodes in a shower of brain tissue and skull fragments, causing Roland to jump back in shock._

ROLAND

JESUS!

_He spins around to find Tannis stood just behind him holding a still smoking shotgun._

ROLAND

What the hell was that?

_Tannis throws the shotgun to the ground and marches off in the direction of Zed's clinic. Roland follows after her, yelling in anger._

ROLAND

Hey! That kid was doing what he though he had to, to try and save his family. You had no right to go and blow his head off.

_Having reached the clinic, Tannis spins on her heel's to snap at Roland._

TANNIS

That kid… has completely destroyed my life's work. Do you know what the bandits did to me? Huh!. Look at this!

_She spins around and lifts her ponytail, to reveal a nasty wound right at the top of her neck. It looks like something has been forced into it. Roland is unable to make heads or tails of it._

TANNIS

They're tracking me. Like a dog. And on top of that, he admitted it was his fault T.K. died.

_Having left the crowd, Zed approaches his clinic and moves towards Roland. Seeing him close, Roland pulls him over._

ROLAND

Hey, Doc? Could you have a look at this.

_He shows Zed the wound on Tannis's neck._

ROLAND

Do you think it would be possible to pull that tracker out of her?

_Zed takes a moment to examine the wound._

DR ZED

This is beyond my skills. The device is embedded deep into her spine. It's a wonder they didn't paralyse her putting it in.

_Zed straightens himself out as Tannis spins back towards the two men. Roland looks over at Zed, who catches his gaze._

_Lightly grabbing Tannis's arm, Zed leads her into his clinic._

DR ZED

Follow me. I'll have a closer look.

_Having been left alone, Roland looks out over the open area of Fyrestone, which is now beginning to clear. Over on the other side he spots Mordecai sat on one of the stools in Marcus's bar._

191. INT. FYRESTONE, MARCUS'S BAR – DAY

_Mordecai is sat on one of the stools at the bar. In his right hand he holds the pear shaped device. Holding it down by his waist he keeps his body between the device and the people outside._

_Rubbing his thumb over the small screen he stares down at the device, lost in thought._

ROLAND (O.S.)

Beat my high score yet?

_Caught by surprise, Mordecai swings his stool around to face Roland while placing the device back in his pocket as subtly as he can._

MORDECAI

I lost that thing when Atlas grabbed us.

ROLAND

Just dwelling on life, the universe and everything in it then?

MORDECAI

Something like that.

_Mordecai readjusts his position as Roland sits himself on the stool next to him._

ROLAND

You never got round to telling me how you ended up here.

MORDECAI

We're looking for a woman named Patricia Tannis.

ROLAND

You and the rest of Pandora apparently.

_Mordecai gives Roland a questioning look. Roland chooses to ignore it._

ROLAND

Why are you hunting her down?

_Mordecai doesn't say anything for a moment, simply staring into space. After a few moments he finally answers Roland's question with one of his own._

MORDECAI

Have you heard anything about a vault?

ROLAND

Really? You too?

_Across the main area, Lilith spots the two men and begins walking towards them._

_Mordecai lets out a soft chuckle. Roland gives him a questioning look._

ROLAND

What?

MORDECAI

That was a surprisingly out of character response from you.

_Leaning forwards Mordecai rests his elbows on the bar._

MORDECAI

I assume you've heard what's supposed to be in there.

ROLAND

Don't know don't care. My priority at the moment is getting off of this rock.

MORDECAI

Well that isn't going to happen while the Lance hold Sanctuary. They say the vault is full of valuable treasure. Enough to purchase half a galaxy, if the stories are to be believed. You know what happened when the cavern on Prometheus was discovered.

ROLAND

I know close to a hundred people walked in, and only eight walked out.

MORDECAI

And since when have you been one to let numbers make your decisions?

ROLAND

Do you know what else they say about the vault? It's a myth. There is no evidence at all that it even exists.

LILITH (O.S.)

It exists.

_Mordecai and Roland both spin to face Lilith as she approaches the bar._

LILITH

And Tannis knows where to find it.

ROLAND

Does she now?

_Roland gives Mordecai a quick hypocritical look._

ROLAND

Speaking of out of character…

MORDECAI

Leave it.

_Roland looks at Mordecai a beat longer but knows better than to press that subject. He turns back to Lilith._

ROLAND

Well you're both in the right place.

_He looks over towards Zed's clinic where Lilith is exiting with what looks like a rag covering the back of her neck._

ROLAND

The witless wonder over there happens to be the person you're looking for.

_He turns back to Lilith._

ROLAND

Although I would have expected you, of all people, to know that.

_He doesn't know yet that Lilith has lost a handful of her previous abilities. Hearing his sneer, Lilith gives Roland a dirty look. Her response contains more than a healthy dose of sarcasm._

LILITH

I get a warm, fuzzy feeling when I figure things out without my powers.

_Roland chuckles at Lilith's comeback and gives Mordecai and sideways glance._

ROLAND

I like her.

_He refocuses on Lilith._

ROLAND

I'd welcome you to the team if I wasn't constantly fearing for my bank details.

_Across the open area unintelligible shouting can be heard. Glancing over, the trio see Tannis having a go at Dr Zed._

ROLAND

You're free to speak to Tannis, but I warn you; she hasn't been in a particularly helpful mood recently.

_Mordecai hops up off his stool while Roland is speaking and turns to face his friend._

ROLAND

Remember that old hag we had to deal with on Lysindre?

MORDECAI

The one with the murderous canary? I seem to recall walking in after you'd spent half a day with her and getting the information within thirty seconds.

_Roland points towards Tannis._

ROLAND

That woman is three times as bad.

MORDECAI

I'll bet you a week's wage I get her to talk.

ROLAND

Wage? Sure. One non-existent wage-worth if you manage to extract a location from her. No cheating.

_Roland points towards Lilith as he quips about cheating.. Mordecai starts to walk towards Tannis. Lilith follows close behind. Roland calls after them._

ROLAND

I'll give you double if you get the coordinates to Sanctuary off of her.

_As Roland spins his stool back to face the bar, Marcus appears from the back room. Looking around he waddles over to Roland._

MARCUS

So. You are seeking out the vault. Hmm?

ROLAND

Me? No.

_Roland quickly glances back around at Mordecai._

ROLAND

Apparently he is.

MARCUS

The stories do paint quite a pretty picture. A massive cache, loaded to bursting point with alien treasure. Hell, I'd give all my stock to charity just to get a peek inside that room. I'd probably make twice as much back, off of a single item from in there. What would you do with that kind of money, my friend?

_The question may be innocent enough, but Marcus's tone suggests that he has something up his sleave. Roland picks up on this._

ROLAND

What are you suggesting?

MARCUS

A business partnership. I can supply you with weapons and equipment and in return I receive a cut of whatever you find in there.

ROLAND

Uh-huh? What happened to rescinded services?

MARCUS

I am a forgiving man. Just don't drag me along this time... So, are we partners?

ROLAND

You're talking to the wrong person. I've got no interest at all of going after the vault.

_Roland stands up, off of his stool and begins to walk towards Mordecai and Tannis. Marcus calls after him._

MARCUS

If you change your mind, remember my offer.

192. EXT. FYRESTONE, OPEN AREA – DAY

_Tannis is sat on a stool near Zed's clinic with Mordecai and Lilith stood in front of her. As Roland approaches Tannis looks past the pair towards him. In response Mordecai turns around._

MORDECAI

Roland.

_As Roland reaches Tannis gives him a pleading look._

TANNIS

I need your help.

_She looks around, checking for unwanted ears and eyes._

TANNIS

Back at my place.

_Roland appears more than hesitant, however Mordecai helps Tannis up._

MORDECAI

Lets go.

193. INT. TANNIS'S SHACK, MAIN ROOM – DAY

_Claptrap bounces around on his wheel while using his arms to perform a variety of oldschool dance moves, quietly rapping to himself._

CLAPTRAP

Mmm hmm. Oh yeah! Check me out! … I'm dancing, uh-huh uh-huh, I'm dancing, uh-huh uh… …

_He's interrupted, as the front door of the shack is pulled open._

CLAPTRAP

Master?

_Tannis steps through the door into her shack. She's holding the brown sack. Claptrap speeds towards her._

CLAPTRAP

Master, master! I'm so happy to see…

_Tannis reaches across to a small rectangular remote on a nearby bench and pushes a large red button. Claptrap's voice becomes deep and distorted as he shuts down._

CLAPTRAP

…you bitch.

_Roland, Mordecai, Lilith and Brick enter the shack behind Lilith. The place is still a mess from the earlier bandit attack. Up in the rafters, the Bloodwing looks out over the chaotic mess._

_Tannis pushes her way through the rubble, kicking various items out of the way until she reaches her desk at the back of the room._

_Bending down she places the sack in a small cupboard under the desk and turns back to the four hero's slowly picking their way through the room towards her._

ROLAND

So what's going on? Why have you dragged us back here?

_Tannis unconsciously raises an arm and gently rubs the wound on the back of her neck._

TANNIS

I need you to help me open the vault.

ROLAND

Open? You don't mean find?

TANNIS

No! I've known where it is for years.

_Mordecai looks over at Roland, a victorious smile crossing his face._

ROLAND

Really? And you're telling us this because…?

_Tannis flinches in pain as she applies too much pressure to her wound. She lowers her hand and looks down at the small amount of blood covering her fingers._

TANNIS

I can't go to vault anymore.

_She lowers her hand to her desk, leaving small streaks of blood._

TANNIS

The bandits have stuck a tracker in me. If I go to the vault they'll follow me and take everything.

MORDECAI

So you need us to go in your place.

ROLAND

And what? Bring the treasure back here for you?

TANNIS

I'll let you keep some… Two percent.

ROLAND

Your generosity is unmatched.

_He turns around to face the three people stood behind him._

ROLAND

Guys. We've had our fun on this planet; we took down a damn Atlas ship. And God knows we've kicked up enough of a fuss since for them to follow our trail back here. We need to leave now before they manage to find us.

_Roland constantly adjusts his gaze between Brick and Mordecai, leaving Lilith out of the conversation. His eyes linger on Mordecai. Mordecai returns the look for a moment._

_In a move that leaves Roland stood, speechless, Mordecai steps forwards, past Roland, towards Tannis._

MORDECAI

How did you find the vault?

_Confusion crosses Roland's face for a moment. He refuses to turn around, instead eyeing off Lilith accusingly as the conversation continues behind him._

TANNIS

It wasn't that hard if you follow the clues properly.

MORDECAI

You found clues? What clues?

_Deciding he given Lilith a sufficiently long death stare, Roland turns back around to face Tannis and Mordecai._

_Tannis has grabbed the brown sack from underneath her desk and pulls out the strange shaped object inside. It's not currently glowing and so appears to just be a flat blue colour._

_Tannis holds the object out for Mordecai._

TANNIS

See this? Like most doors, the vault requires a key in order to open it.

MORDECAI

And that's the key?

TANNIS

Yes… No… Sort of… It's… some of the key. I have another part stashed away and I know exactly where the final part is but I can't get it on my own so I'll need your help there.

MORDECAI

Where is it?

TANNIS

It's just sat in a cave, up in the mountains. But the cave is protected by a terrifying monster.

_Roland rolls his eyes._

ROLAND

Monsters? Really?

_Tannis glares at him for a moment before returning to Mordecai._

TANNIS

Anyway, watch this.

_She moves the key fragment towards the window. As it hits the direct sunlight, it begins to glow, emitting a very soft hum as it does._

LILITH

Solar powered.

_Lilith steps forwards, past Roland and puts herself next to Mordecai._

TANNIS

Yes. When I foun… Well… How much do you know about Pandora's geography.

MORDECAI

Not much.

_Tannis looks slightly annoyed, but moves over to a globe of Pandora. Unlike a usual globe, which has a pole running through the top and bottom of the planet, the Pandora globe has a single rotation pole, entering the planet from the side._

_Tannis grabs a light stand from nearby and places it in front to the globe. Numerous pieces of tape and well as a general wobbliness suggests the stand has been cut and taped back together in numerous locations. It's almost exactly the same height as the globe. She points to where the light is hitting the planet._

TANNIS

This planet is that it has an unusual rotation.

_She switches on the lamp and points it towards the globe on the opposite side to the rotation pole._

TANNIS

The planet is tidally locked: This side here is constantly facing the sun and consequently is far too hot to visit, unless you enjoy becoming a flaming fireball. The other side is always facing away and will freeze you to death within minutes.

_She gives the globe a spin and points to the band around the middle of the planet near where the day/night line constantly sits, with only a very small amount of movement._

TANNIS

Pretty much everyone here lives on this ring, which divides the two halves of the planet. Or the Borderlands, as we call it.

_Tannis moves back to her desk and picks up the vault key fragment._

MORDECAI

So… The vault is on the sunward facing side?

_Tannis rolls her eyes and gives Mordecai a condescending look. When she gives her answer it's done so in a tone intended to make Mordecai feel stupid for even considering such an outrageous idea._

TANNIS

No. When I found this, it was in a cave full of alien text. I still haven't translated all of it, but I kept finding references to a cycle: Two hundred years…

_She moves back to the globe._

TANNIS

It took me a while, but I finally found out what they were talking about.

_She offsets the lamp from the globe slightly to the right._

TANNIS

As Pandora makes its way around the sun, even though this side will always be facing it, the planet has a very slight rotation. What this means is that…

MORDECAI

The Borderlands becomes thicker.

_Tannis stops, a little annoyed at the interruption. She gives the globe a spin watching as the light plays over sections of the planet that it couldn't reach before._

TANNIS

More parts of the planet receive direct sunlight.

_Putting one hand on the globe to stop it spinning and holding the vault key up in her other hand, Tannis stands proudly in front of the group. The look seems a little forced as she completes her story._

TANNIS

So I managed to find the only place on the planet that receives direct sunlight once every two hundred years. And there it was.

_She gives the group a big cheesy smile._

TANNIS

What do you think?

_Mordecai opens his mouth to say something, but Roland cuts in from behind._

ROLAND

I think you haven't been praised in a very long time.

_Now starting to get pissed off with Roland's attitude, Lilith spins around._

LILITH

Shut up. If you don't want to help us, just turn around and leave.

_A little taken aback by Lilith's comment, Roland turns to Mordecai. The thin man shrugs._

MORDECAI

As heartbroken as I'll be to see your back, I'm going to have to agree with Lilith on this one.

ROLAND

Agree with her?

_Roland strides up to Mordecai and grabs both his shoulders. The action is a little harder than he initially intended._

ROLAND

We've been together for nine years and you're going to side with a girl you've known for…

_Roland is interrupted by a piercing shriek from the rafters, causing all five people in the room to look up at the Bloodwing, sat in the rafters._

_As its shriek comes to an end, it spreads its thin, brown wings and leaps from its perch diving towards Roland and Mordecai. At the last moment, Roland pushes Mordecai out of its path and jumps back himself._

TANNIS

Cover your eyes!

_Roland raises an arm and shields his eyes with it as the Bloodwing circles around the small shack and dives for him again._

_Roland backs up as the bird approaches, peering through a tiny gap above his arm and bumping into Brick. He reaches down with his free hand and pulls out Nine-toes pistil from his belt. As he aims it at the bird, Tannis yells out._

TANNIS

No! Don't!

_Brick reaches around Roland and grabs his gun arm, pushing it down as Roland fires, sending a bullet harmlessly into the ground._

ROLAND

Hey!

_He shakes his arm free of Brick's grasp. Meanwhile the Bloodwing circles around Mordecai and Lilith, before gently perching on Mordecai's shoulder._

_Still holding a hand over his eyes, Mordecai slowly turns his head to look at the bird sat on his right shoulder. The bird growls softly and ruffles its feathers, but doesn't make any further move to attack._

_Hearing the flapping of wings stop, Lilith slowly uncovers her face and gives Mordecai and amused look._

LILITH

Looks like you made a new friend.

_Swapping the hand covering his eyes to his right hand. Using his left hand he attempts to very lightly push the bird off of his shoulder._

_The bird ruffles its feathers again and snaps its beak at the approaching fingers. Mordecai quickly pulls his hand away._

_Tannis slowly raises herself from behind her desk and glares at the bird on Mordecai._

TANNIS

You sell-out!

MORDECAI

What?

_Tannis slowly moves around her desk towards Mordecai._

TANNIS

My Bloodwing had apparently has decided to switch owners. And they're supposed to be incredibly loyal birds. Pah! Well he won't harm you now.

_Slowly, Mordecai lowers his hand and looks back at the Bloodwing. The Bloodwing glares back and growls menacingly._

MORDECAI

Good birdy.

_Tannis suddenly jumps Mordecai from behind, pulling a brown leather cap over his head. The cap covers most of the top part of his head, with two yellow lenses over his eyes. The action causes the Bloodwing to jump from Mordecai's shoulder, hovering in the air for a moment before re-landing exactly where it was before._

TANNIS

Wear this. Just in case.

_Still shying away from the bird perched on him, Mordecai reaches up and adjusts the cap slightly, so he can see better through the two lenses on the front of it._

TANNIS

They like going for the eyes.

_Lilith smiles at Mordecai._

LILITH

Nice look.

_Mordecai's reaction isn't clear with his face obstructed by the cap. Still looking at Lilith, he addresses Roland._

MORDECAI

Roland. I wasn't siding with Lilith, or anyone else. I honestly think it would be worth our time to look at this vault.

ROLAND

I don't know if you were listening to the same story I was a moment ago, but if I recall, this vault is on a timer. And I'm not waiting around for two hundred years for it to open.

TANNIS

You wont have to wait long. It opens today.

ROLAND

Opens today, does it… Wait… today?

TANNIS

Yes.

_Roland stops for a moment._

ROLAND

Have you told anyone else about this? Anyone from Atlas?

TANNIS

No, I haven't told anyone.

ROLAND

Is there any possible way that they could have known about this?

TANNIS

No.

_Mordecai looks round at Roland, confusion washing over his face._

ROLAND

Huh… Their timing is impeccable.

_Mordecai turns to Lilith._

MORDECAI

You said earlier that Atlas were here for the vault.

_Lilith nods a confirmation._

LILITH

They captured me attempting to head them off and beat them to it.

_Roland is only half listening. He's lost in his own thoughts, muttering to himself._

ROLAND

This is good. This is very good.

_Hearing this, Mordecai breaks away from Lilith and moves towards Roland, his curiosity piqued._

MORDECAI

Care to let us in?

_Roland snaps out of his moment and turns his attention to Mordecai._

ROLAND

If Atlas really wants that vault, they'll have put the better part of their manpower into scouring the planet. Sanctuary should only be very lightly guarded. It'll be a piece of cake to slip through and steal a ship.

_As fast as it was gained, Mordecai's interest is suddenly lost again. He rolls his eyes and lets out a defeated sigh._

MORDECAI

OK. I don't know how many times I have to repeat myself, but the only way to Sanctuary…

ROLAND

Is in that corner.

_Roland points towards the teleportation device. Mordecai swings around, causing the Bloodwing on his shoulder to readjust its balance, and looks into the corner, spotting the thin pole._

MORDECAI

What the hell is that?

_Before Roland can answer, Tannis cuts in._

TANNIS

It's a device I created which breaks…

ROLAND

Trust me; the less you know the better.

_Tannis is once again annoyed at being interrupted and crosses her arms._

ROLAND

All you need to know is that it can take us straight to Sanctuary. No Bandits. No flying.

_Mordecai looks between the teleport device and Roland, his mind working overtime to try and come to a decision. On his shoulder, the Bloodwing growls softly._

LILITH

Mordecai?

_Mordecai's mouth twists into a grimace and he finally turns towards Roland for the final time._

MORDECAI

Fine.

LILITH

No. Mordecai! You don't have to go with him.

_Mordecai looks away. Roland steps up and puts a hand on Mordecai's shoulder._

ROLAND

Hey. I know you were hoping to find the vault, but take my word for it when I say that this is definitely the better... and safer option.

MORDECAI

And you know that, how?

ROLAND

One of these days I'll tell you a story that will completely shatter everything you think you know about me.

_Mordecai holds his look towards Roland a moment longer before pulling away and moving towards Tannis._

MORDECAI

I'm sorry Tannis. I'm not going to be able to help you this time.

_He moves in closer to Tannis, extending an arm as though to shake her hand._

_Meanwhile, Lilith turns to Roland, ready to tear his head off._

LILITH

Does Mordecai ever get any say in your little group, or are you the big boss.

ROLAND

Hey. He's choosing to come. I'm not forcing him. Brick.

_Roland calls the big man over. Brick parks himself next to Roland._

ROLAND

Ready to go home?

BRICK

Without treasure?

ROLAND

For now.

_Roland pats Brick on the back and moves towards Tannis and Mordecai._

ROLAND  
Right. Tannis. I know you…

TANNIS

I'll put in the co-ordinates.

_Roland freezes in surprise as Tannis makes her way over to the machine. Mordecai doesn't immediately move, instead looking back at Roland, an amused smile crosses his face._

ROLAND

How did you?.. … You have got to teach me that trick.

_Roland moves towards the device as Tannis begins to punch in the co-ordinates. Mordecai starts to make his way over but is intercepted by Lilith._

LILITH

Mordecai. Come on. We were so close to finding the vault.

MORDECAI

I know. But I need to stick with those two. You go and find the vault. There's nothing holding you back.

LILITH

I…

_She quickly looks around at Roland._

LILITH

…don't think that's something I can do on my own anymore.

MORDECAI

You seem capable enough. You'll be fine.

_Mordecai walks away towards the teleporting device, leaving Lilith stood alone. As Mordecai approaches the device he calls out to Tannis._

MORDECAI

You can have your bird back.

TANNIS

No I can't. His decision to switch is permanent. Make sure he stays fed, and he'll make sure you stay alive.

_Tannis pulls out three handles, two of which are grabbed by Roland and Brick. Mordecai approaches the device and grabs the third handle. The button on the screen is ready to be pushed._

_As the three men are holding the handles, Tannis jumps out and with both her arms clips a small metal device to Roland's and Brick's wrists. The device immediately locks shut around their arms._

__ROLAND

What the hell is this?

TANNIS

An experiment.

_She clips a third to Mordecai before he's able to pull away._

ROLAND

No. I've had enough of your experiments. How do you take it off?

_He pulls at the device,looking for a latch to open it._

TANNIS

You can't.

_Roland gives the device on his wrist a weary look before reaching back for his handle._

ROLAND

Time to go.

_He raises a hand to push the screen. He's stopped by a cry from behind him._

LILITH

Wait!

_Lilith jogs over to the machine and grabs Mordecai's handle._

LILITH

I'm coming with you.

_Roland gives Lilith a piercing look._

ROLAND

I seem to recall having this discussion back on the Atlas ship.

LILITH

Good. So you already know the outcome.

_Mordecai turns to Roland._

MORDECAI

We may as well at least get her off the planet.

_Roland pauses for a moment before giving in._

ROLAND

Whatever. She's your responsibility.

_He hits the button on the screen. Tannis suddenly leaps forwards and attaches the same device she gave to the men to Lilith's wrist, pulling away before the machine activates. There's a bright flash of light and the characters disappear from Tannis's shack._


	13. The Final Piece

It would be fair to say going into this chapter, I was absolutely terrified. Not necessarily because it was a tough action scene to write, although that certainly came into it. Nor was it because this was the point where I get to close off a heap of hanging plot threads and boot the story out of act 2 and into the third and final act. It probably wouldn't be fair to reveal here why I found this a difficult chapter to write so instead I'll leave by hoping that you enjoy this latest entry. Only three more to go.

* * *

194. EXT. TRASH COAST, MOUNTAIN LEDGE – DAY

_A teleportation device sits on the edge of a medium sized path near a wide ledge on the side of a mountain. Beyond the ledge the sea stretches out towards the horizon. The sea also extends out from one side of the path, while the other side is lined with a steep, unclimbable mountain wall. The path winds its way right down to the coast, where piles of junk can be seen, starting near the bottom of the mountain and stretching inland._

_The teleport device begins to hum as the screen attached to the pole springs to life, throwing up what appear to be random letters and numbers._

_There's a bright flash and Roland, Brick, Lilith and Mordecai all appear on the side of the mountain, facing downhill, away from the ledge. Having already used the device a number of times Roland barely moves as he reappears. Mordecai and Lilith however look around at their surroundings and down at their own bodies._

MORDECAI

That's amazing.

_Roland glances over at Mordecai, raising an eyebrow at his reaction, but choosing not to fill Mordecai in on how the device works._

_Flinching at a sudden burst of pain in his wrist, Roland reaches over with his left hand, to rub the sore area. He's stopped however by the device that Tannis strapped to his wrist before they left her hut. Roland rolls his eyes before taking his first good look out over the landscape._

_Looking left and right, his eyes thin as he tries to make sense of what he's seeing. Meanwhile Mordecai has turned to Lilith. At this point, everyone is still facing down the path and have not seen the ledge directly behind them._

MORDECAI

Do you think this system could be used to travel between planets?

LILITH

I don't know. If it gets rid of the bumpy landings, I wouldn't be complaining.

_Brick steps up behind Roland who is still scanning the landscape below him. Hearing the large man behind him, Roland speaks out softly._

ROLAND

Call me crazy, but I would have expected the city to be a little… …

_He looks down at what appears to be a tiny shantytown hidden amongst the piles of junk. It's made up of three small huts, which seem to be built from the garbage surrounding them._

ROLAND

… cleaner.

_Brick raises an eyebrow at Roland's choice of words. Without taking his eyes off of the coast below him, Roland calls over to Mordecai._

ROLAND

Mordecai?

_To Roland's left, Mordecai turns away from Lilith towards Roland. He doesn't say anything but raises his eyebrows quizzically as he approaches Roland. Roland quickly glances over to make sure Mordecai is listening before looking back down the mountain._

ROLAND

Does this look like the Sanctuary you were at?

_Mordecai finally takes the chance to look out, down the mountain for the first time. As he does, Lilith, curious as to what they're talking about approaches and stands next to Mordecai, following his gaze out over the landscape._

MORDECAI

Not unless the Lance have done some major renovations since we were last there.

_The news causes Roland to close his eyes let out a loud disappointed exhale._

ROLAND

What are you up to now, Tannis?

_Lilith leans forwards, looking past Mordecai towards Roland._

LILITH

I saw her type in some kind of code. Do you think she made a mistake?

_Roland shakes his head at the question._

ROLAND

It generally takes more than a typo to…

_He's cut off as a loud, booming rumble rolls through the area, causing the ground to shake. All four vault hunters look up from the view below them, but no one dares to turn around and check out the source of the noise._

ROLAND

Please tell me she didn't do what I think she did.

_Mordecai is the only one to slowly turn around. He looks out over the ledge at first, but almost immediately his gaze begins to move up as he sees the source of the noise._

MORDECAI

Oh she did.

_Lilith and Brick are the next to turn as another rumble is heard, and felt. They are followed a beat later by Roland. As he looks up the source of the noise is finally revealed._

_Towering above the four characters is a massive beast. Resting on four thick legs, each the width of a small car is a massive leathery body. The back section is a much lighter brown and appears to be pocketed by numerous holes. The creature doesn't have much of a neck, with a triangular head poking out of the front of the body. A large mouth splits the head vertically in two. Sat above the mouth are four round eyes._

_A beat passes where nobody moves. Finally Roland breaks the silence._

ROLAND

Huh. She made it sound bigger.

_The Rakk Hive in front of them rears onto its hind legs and lets out a loud high-pitched roar. It almost sounds like it's screaming. As it hits the ground the whole mountain seems to shake._

_Roland turns to Mordecai ready to say something however he's cut off by Brick on the other side of him as the large man steps forwards and roars back at the beat in front of them. The remaining three members slowly turn to look at him as he bellows the sound out at the top of his lungs._

_As Brick comes to a stop, Roland gives his partner a look of disbelief. It takes him a beat to speak._

ROLAND

You better hope that wasn't a mating cry.

_He turns back to Mordecai._

ROLAND

I vote we teleport out of here.

MORDECAI

I agree

_Lowering its head, the Hive paws at the ground with its front foot twice. It lets out a much softer and shorter roar._

_Roland starts to slowly back away towards the teleportation device, followed closely by Mordecai. Lilith doesn't immediately follow. As soon as she see's Mordecai moving away she calls out softly._

LILITH

Wait! Mordecai! Look.

_Mordecai stops as she points to something beyond the Hive. Following the direction of her hand he spots a small entrance in the side of the mountain. It's wide enough for a single person and about two meters high. Beyond the opening, it's too dark to see anything inside._

MORDECAI

We'll come back with bigger guns.

_A thump from the Hive's direction draws his attention back to it, just as it breaks into a charge, moving directly towards the group. There's not much time to react before it's practically directly on top of them._

ROLAND

Shit!

_Mordecai and Lilith both dive right, away from the cliff wall and out of the Hive's path. As Mordecai launches himself to the side, Bloodwing leaps off his shoulder and takes flight. Roland and Brick, both leap in the other direction but find their way blocked by the mountain wall. Their quick movements do get them just out of harms way as the Hive hits the mountain wall just behind them, with its shoulder. The momentum causes the rear half of the beast to move sideways into the wall and both Roland and Brick are caught between its legs, underneath the massive body._

_With no-where else to go, they both race away from the mountain wall, underneath the body, narrowly avoiding being crushed by the Hives massive legs, which stamp around in the dirt as it recovers from tackling the mountain wall._

_Mordecai picks himself up from the dirt and wraps his hands around Lilith's waist, helping her up as well._

MORDECAI

You all right?

LILITH

Fine.

_She nods a confirmation. Roland and Brick trot over to the pair._

ROLAND

Where's your bird?

_Mordecai shrugs in response. As soon as Roland reaches them, he turns back to the Hive, which has almost fully recovered and is shaking itself off._

ROLAND

Ah hell!

_Underneath the Hive are the crushed remains of Tannis's teleportation device._

_The group starts to move away from the Hive onto the ledge. Another roar informs them that the Hive has fully recovered. It begins to paw at the ground again. Roland takes the opportunity to pull out his machine gun, prompting Mordecai to do the same with his sniper and Brick, a recently acquired shotgun._

_Lilith doesn't pull out a weapon, instead giving the boys in incredulous look._

LILITH

You're not actually going to fight that thing?

ROLAND

You have a better idea?

_Mordecai quickly glances towards Roland. As he does he notices the opening Lilith pointed out earlier on the other side of the ledge, beyond Roland._

MORDECAI

Over there.

_Roland quickly glances over and spots the opening._

ROLAND

Works for me.

_The hive charges at them again. Moving backwards, Roland fires his gun at the beast, followed by Brick and Mordecai, who ignores the scope on his sniper and just fires from the hip at the massive creature._

_The bullets seem to have no effect and the creature continues its charge with no reaction._

_As it nears the group, Bloodwing swoops down from above and digs its claws into one of the hive's large gelatinous eye's. Letting out a roar of pain, the hive turns away from Bloodwing and, unable to slow itself down on time, slams hard into the mountain wall._

_Roland pumps his fist into the air as Bloodwing claws at the eye one last time and takes flight again._

ROLAND

Yeah! Go Beaky!

_Taking a moment to enjoy not having been crushed, Roland steps forwards._

ROLAND

Big monster doesn't seem so dangerous now.

_The back section of the hive suddenly springs to life as a large flock of Rakk erupt from the holes pocketing its back. They rise into the air as a large group._

MORDECAI

They are.

_Lilith reaches down to her waist and pulls out her pistil._

_The flock swoops down towards the group who immediately start backing up towards the cave while shooting into the flock. Roland sprays bullets at the flock as they swoop down towards him and Brick let's loose multiple shotgun blasts._

_Mordecai's sniper is next to useless for this type of combat, but that doesn't stop him from sending two bullets into the group._

_After a moment the group is engulfed within the flock._

_Roland continues to spray bullets everywhere. Lilith fires a single round but creates a jet of flame, which torches numerous Rakk out of the air. Claws and talons bite down and scratch at any area of exposed skin. Roland is forced to hold an arm over his face. Mordecai's leather cap protects most of his face, but his arms are still torn into._

_After a while the flock passes and rises up into the air as one, preparing for another pass._

_The flock seems to break apart at this point, with some Rakk circling round back towards the giant beast, while others dive down again towards the vault hunters._

_Bloodwing swoops in and intercept one of the Rakk mid dive, grabbing the creature in its talons and reaching down with its beak, tearing the Rakk's throat out. The rest decend towards the group and are met with either gunfire or flames._

_In the midst of the Rakk attack, the Hive lets out a roar, drawing Mordecai's attention. Through the cloud of Rakk he sees's it pawing the ground, preparing to charge._

_Mordecai raises the sniper to the yellow lens covering his eye and aims it one of the Hive's numerous eyes. He fires a round, but as he does a Rakk flies between him and his target, taking the bullet instead and dropping to the ground._

MORDECAI

Damn!

_He ejects the used casing as the Hive begins its charge, aiming for the main characters. Mordecai whips the rifle back to his eye, aims it at the creature as it rapidly approaches and lets loose another shot as it reaches them._

_This bullet finds its mark and the Hive come to a stop directly above Roland and rears up onto its hind legs, howling in pain._

_Having been facing away during the charge and too busy fighting the Rakk to notice the Hive earlier, the howl coming from directly above Roland causes him to spin around and look practically directly up as the Hive rears._

_The noise also attracts Lilith's attention, who immediately spots Roland standing right where the Hive is going to come down when it lands. She runs in his direction as the beast begins to fall back onto its front legs, one of them racing directly for Roland._

_Just as the leg is about to crush Roland, Lilith vanishes, sending out a shockwave that catches Roland and flings him underneath the Hive causing him to hit the ground behind it._

_The shockwave also catches Mordecai, who was stood nearby, sending him flying in the opposite direction, towards the edge of the ledge. He hits the ground near the edge but stops just shy of going over. It's a long drop down to the sae below._

_As he quickly picks himself back up, Mordecai finds himself under attack from two Rakk. Swinging his sniper rifle around, he smacks the first one with the butt of his weapon. He aims the sniper at the second but it is suddenly tackled out of the air by Bloodwing._

_Looking back towards the battle, Mordecai see's Brick punch a Rakk mid dive, sending it crashing into the ground. Beyond Brick the Hive is turning itself to face Roland who is firing at it from behind. There's currently no sign of Lilith. From the back of the Hive, more Rakk emerge and fly into the air. Mordecai runs back towards Brick._

_Near the mountain wall, Roland continually fires at the Hive as it completes its slow turn, constantly backpedalling to put as much distance as he can between it and him. During this time three Rakk swoop down and he diverts his aim briefly to deal with these._

_At one point his gun clicks empty. Reaching into his jacket he pulls out a fresh clip and quickly replaces the old one. The massive beast finishes its turn and looks down at Roland letting out a loud roar._

_Before it can charge Lilith reappears directly in front of its front legs. The force of the resulting shockwave causes the Hive's knees to buckle and it falls forwards._

_Seeing it fall towards her, Lilith runs to one side. The impact of the front of the creature's body hitting the ground kicks up a cloud of dust, which Lilith runs through, around the creature back towards Brick and Mordecai._

_As the hive struggles to get its front legs back underneath it, Roland fires a number of rounds into its mouth. The bullets pierce into the soft tissue and the beast roars in pain. Suddenly a green goo sprays out of the Hive's mouth in Roland's direction._

_Roland jumps to the side, avoiding the goo, but a Rakk that flies between them isn't so lucky and falls to the ground screeching in pain as the acidic substance eats through its flesh._

_Deciding he'd rather be out of the range of this new attack, Roland follows Lilith's route around the Hive towards the rest of the gang._

_Lilith is sending a stream of flames into another group of attacking Rakk as Roland rounds the beast. Brick manages to catch one out of the air and snaps its neck, throwing the corpse to the ground. Mordecai raises his sniper, but a Rakk manages to scrape its talons across his cheek, the weight of the creature knocking him to the ground._

_From the ground Mordecai calls over to the other three._

MORDECAI

Get to the cave!

_The massive beast has managed to pick itself up and begins to spin around. Mordecai picks himself up from the ground and runs towards the small entrance in the mountain wall. Although Roland and Lilith have both made for the entrance Brick hasn't moved yet. As he runs past, Mordecai grabs Brick's arm and tries to pull him along._

MORDECAI

Come on!

_Brick spins and heads for the cave, quickly overtaking Mordecai. A Rakk attempts to claw at the top of Mordecai's head. His cap prevents any damage, but the force does cause him to stumble forwards. He attempts to roll out of it but doesn't quite get it right and ends up on his back._

_The Rakk is almost immediately on his chest. It raises its claws ready to dig into Mordecai's flesh. The Raak is suddenly thrown off of Mordecai by Bloodwing, who pins it to the floor and tears its head off with his beak._

_Mordecai quickly pulls himself to his feet and races to the entrance._

195. INT. TRASH COAST, ERIDIAN CAVE - DAY

_Bursting through the entrance, Mordecai immediately turns around to face Lilith who is stood to one side. Outside, a flock of Rakk dive down towards the entrance._

MORDECAI

Shield please! Now!

_Lilith nods and stands in the middle of the opening. Spreading her arms apart, a shield of energy is created between them, filling the height of the door._

_The diving Rakk smack into the shield. Some bounce off, dazed while others hit it hard enough that it sends them falling to the ground, either dead or simply knocked out._

_As the creatures continue to impact against the shield, Roland slowly turns around to inspect the cave they've entered. After taking a quick look he turns back to Lilith, who continues to hold the shield up even as the number of Rakk smacking up against it steadily decreases._

ROLAND

How long do you think you can maintain that thing?

LILITH

Until you start distracting me. Why?

ROLAND

I get the feeling your boyfriend might want to explore this place.

_Choosing to completely disregard the relationship jab from Roland, his comments are enough for Mordecai to look around from the shield and take his first look at the cavern._

_The open area is massive. Streams of light pocket the darkness revealing a thin bridge carved out of the rock and held up by thin pillars of stone, spanning a deep cavern, its bottom lost in the darkness. The bridge ends in the middle of the cavern where a thin rock pedestal sits. An object can be seen on top of the pedestal although it is too far away to properly make out what it is._

_The along the walls of the cave are what appear to be stone carvings. The figures are slightly humanoid in appearance although closer inspection reveals many elements which are insectiod including the thin shape of the body and limbs and two wings which protrude from just below the figures neck._

_Mordecai holds his sniper to his face and uses the scope to inspect one of the figures lining the wall before turning it on the pedestal in the middle._

_Pulling the scope from the lens covering his eye, Mordecai turns back to Lilith._

MORDECAI

It's here.

_Lilith turns to look into the cavern, but her shield wavers, letting in a single Rakk._

ROLAND

Oi!

_Quickly turning back she pulls the shield back up as Brick reaches forwards, grabbing the Rakk and breaking its neck._

_Mordecai steps forwards towards the thin bridge._

MORDECAI

Hang tight. I want to check this out.

_He steps out onto the thin bridge, carefully putting his weight down and testing its stability. The bridge seems solid. Carefully he moves further out, glancing down after a few steps._

_Hearing a noise behind him, Mordecai spins around to find Roland stood just behind him, also on the bridge._

MORDECAI

I didn't think you were interested in the vault.

ROLAND

I'm not. But, seeing as we're here…

_Mordecai turns back towards the pedestal, a smile crossing his face as he resumes moving forwards._

MORDECAI

Careful now. Or you'll become Tannis's personal slave.

ROLAND

Too late.

_The two men continue to cross the thin bridge. Roland keeps back a few paces allowing Mordecai to test and traverse each section before he follows._

_As he reaches the small island in the middle with the pedestal, Mordecai turns back and waits for Roland to join him before he moves up to small rock formation._

_Sat on top of the flat surface is an object remarkable similar to the one Mordecai found on Thor. The top appears to be a third of what has once a round object and a cone of irregular shapes and sharp corners sits below._

_Mordecai slowly moves forwards and reaches down for the final piece of the vault key. Just as he's about to grab it, Roland calls out softly._

ROLAND

Wait!

_Mordecai pulls his hand back and spins around. Roland is looking off to the side towards one of the statues lining the wall of the cave._

MORDECAI

What?

ROLAND

I thought I saw… Just, bear with me for a moment.

_Still keeping his eyes on the figures, Roland slowly approaches the pedestal. Trying to work out what he's doing, Mordecai raises his sniper scope to his face and takes another look at the figure._

_After looking at it for a moment he fails to see anything out of the ordinary. He pulls the gun down and looks around at Roland, who is now stood directly next to him._

_Roland bends down and examines the object on the pedestal. He moves his hand over the object, not quite coming in contact with it. Slowly, he reaches down with a single finger, and softly places it against the object._

_The very moment his finger comes into contact with the object, every figure along the wall dives, as one, towards the pedestal._

_Roland immediately raises his gun and fires towards the figures. This causes them to disperse. Some keep flying in their direction while others dive down, out of sight and others swoop to the side._

_Mordecai meanwhile, reaches down and snatches the object from the pedestal. Only a moment after he's taken it, a bright blue beam flies down from the air and destroys the stone pedestal, sending fragments of stone flying over the small island._

_Mordecai looks up in the direction the blast came from and sees three of the figures he previously thought to be statues, floating above the deep chasm._

_On the other side of the island, two of the creatures swoop down towards Roland. As they approach him, what appear to be blades, made up of a strange energy, form in their hands. He fires his gun at the closest, but some kind of protective shield deflects all his bullets._

_Mordecai finds he comes up against this same shield when he fires a round from his sniper towards one of the creatures floating above him. The artefact is held in the same hand that's cradling the barrel grip of his rifle. The three creatures fire back, causing Mordecai to leap to one side to avoid being hit._

_Misjudging his dodge, Mordecai ends up right on the edge of the island. There's a moment where it looks like he might go over but he manages to find his balance and steps away from the edge. Roland meanwhile is forced to stop one of the blades with his gun._

_As the metal hits the strange blade, there's an odd buzzing noise. The blade doesn't pierce the metal of the gun, but the force is enough to knock Roland off balance._

_As this is happening, the remaining creatures circle the fight from the air. A small group of them disappear underneath the thin natural bridge._

_From the entrance to the cave, Lilith hears another's sniper round go off. Unable to control herself for any longer, she turns back towards the noise, allowing her shield to disappear as she does._

_Her eyes widen as she see's Mordecai and Roland on the island in the middle, surrounded by the creatures, both in the air and on foot._

_Roland swings his gun around and smacks one of the creatures in the face. The shield stops the gun from actually touching the creature, but its hit with enough force that the creature stumbles to one side._

_Roland doesn't get much time to celebrate this tiny victory however as the second creature steps in and swings a blade horizontally at neck level._

_Roland leans back and just manages to dodge around it, but the action causes him to lose his balance and he falls to the ground._

_Mordecai fires another round at one of the flying creatures but its pretty obvious by now that none of the bullets are going through. Mordecai is suddenly caught by surprise and flung forwards as one of the creatures knocks him from behind._

_As Mordecai flies forwards, the artefact from the pedestal flies out of his hand along with his rifle. The rifle slides over the edge of the island, however as the artefact soars through the air, one of the flying creatures dives forwards and grabs it out of the air._

_Even though there's no direct light hitting the artefact, as soon as it comes into contact with the creature it begins to glow. Mordecai looks up from the ground towards the bright light being generated by the artefact._

_Roland shuffles backwards and narrowly deflects another blade swipe with his gun. Suddenly Brick appears, tackling the creature and throwing it away from Roland._

_Lilith appears soon after, firing her pistil at the creatures. She moves past Roland towards Mordecai._

_He's picking himself up off of the floor as she reaches him._

LILITH

What the hell happened?

_She helps Mordecai to his feet. As he stands up he points towards the flying creature still holding the glowing artefact._

MORDECAI

Prick stole the key.

_Lilith looks over towards the creature. Pointing her pistil, she fires near to a full clip in its direction. The bullets have to effect and only serve to make the creature dive down, underneath the island._

_Roland fires another burst at the nearby creatures on the island and his gun clicks empty. He growls to himself._

ROLAND

Screw this.

_He turns to Mordecai and Lilith._

ROLAND

I preferred my chances against that thing outside.

_Mordecai jumps to one side as one of the creatures swoops down towards him. Lilith fires at the creature to no avail._

_Suddenly a loud explosion is heard from back in the direction of the cave entrance. All four characters look back in that direction but are unable to see anything beyond a number of the flying creatures dashing around the cave._

_Being closest to the bridge, Roland steps closer and looks down, catching a glimpse of the explosion hitting one of the thin columns supporting the stone bridge._

_As he watches, one of the creatures fires another blue beam towards one of the closer supports. Roland turns back to the remaining three._

ROLAND

We need to go. Now!

_He looks down again as the attack on the support pillar does its job, sending stone fragments tumbling down into the abyss below. He turns back just as another creature lands on the island and races towards him, swinging its blade._

_Firing off a quick burst with his gun, Roland decides to turn and high-tail it back over the bridge. Two of the flying creatures swoop towards him as he races over the thin path, but he ducks underneath both of them._

_Hearing another loud crack, Mordecai, Brick and Lilith follow, not too far behind him. Brick's on the bridge first, tearing across it, followed by Lilith._

_As Mordecai reaches the bridge a creature appears from underneath the small island, smacking into Mordecai and knocking him back._

_Half way across the bridge, Lilith is forced to stop as a creature swoops down in front of her._

_Below the bridge, one of the creatures slams into another of the support beams, shattering the beam and flying through the crumbling stone._

_Directly above the support, Brick struggles to keep his balance as the rock underneath his feet cracks and starts to shift slightly._

_Back on the island, Mordecai ducks underneath a blade swung at him and steps to the side, trying to get around the creature. The creature steps with him and continues to block his route._

_Suddenly a soft thump can be heard behind Mordecai. He spins around to find three more of the creatures have landed behind him._

_Lilith fires a single round at the creature in front of her and tries to use her flame ability to deal with it. The flames wash over the creature and the shield glows a bright yellow, stopping any of them from reaching it. As Lilith's attack dies down, the creature steps forwards._

_The stone underneath its feet suddenly slips to one side. Despite sidestepping to try and regain its balance, the creature falls off the side of the bridge and instantly engages its wings, stopping its fall after a dozen feet._

_Now it's Lilith who has to try and keep her balance as the section of stone she's stood on starts to crack. She jumps forwards over the cracking area as a small portion of the bridge crumbles and falls into darkness._

_Mordecai is still stuck on the small island. With no other choice, he dodges around a swing by the creature in front of him and is then forced to jump forwards as one of the ones behind him attempts to impale him on its blade._

_A number of machine gun bullets fly out towards the island and bunce off of the creature between Mordecai and the bridge._

_Over near the entrance, Roland pulls out another empty magazine and reaches behind for a new one._

_Distracted by the bullets hitting its shield, the creature that was hit jumps into the air and starts to fly in Roland's direction._

_Seizing the opportunity, Mordecai races onto the bridge._

_Meanwhile, Brick and Lilith make it to the other side of the bridge. Pretty much every step needs to be carefully taken near the end as the bridge is cracking extensively and numerous sections are falling off, disappearing into the darkness below. Roland finishes reloading his gun and fires at the creatures in the air._

_Part way across the bridge, Mordecai reaches the section where Lilith was stood when her piece of the bridge separated. Taking a moment to line up, he jumps the gap, but his landing puts to much pressure on the section he lands on and it breaks off._

_Falling forwards, Mordecai hits a piece of the bridge still being supported on his stomach, knocking the air from his lungs. Quickly recovering, he pulls himself to his feet._

_He about to take another step forwards, but one of the creatures lands on the bridge, blocking his path. The creature pulls out its blades and takes a step forwards, but the section of bridge below its feet brakes off and both the creature and the stone fall out of sight._

_Below Mordecai, one of the creatures destroys the support beam directly below his feet._

_Immediately dashing forwards, Mordedai jumps off of that section as it begins to fall and on to the next one. His impact causes a chain reaction as most of the supports for the remainder of the bridge have been destroyed. Its practically holding itself up by this stage._

_As he darts across the bridge as fast as he can, the stone crumbles directly beneath his feet and segments of the bridge snap off and fall. Somehow, Mordecai miraculously manages to keep just ahead of the collapsing sections._

_As he reaches the final stretch, the it finally catches up to him and the stone beneath his feet gives and brakes off at the entrance platform, only a few meters in front of him. As the stone begins to fall, Mordecai leaps forwards towards the small platform at the cave entrance._

_He doesn't quite make the distance and plummets down into the abyss._

_Lilith races to the edge of the platform, shouting out._

LILITH

Mordecai!

_Suddenly, a creature rises up in front of the small platform, with Mordecai clinging, white knuckled to its back. In the creatures hands is the artifact that was taken from Mordecai earlier. _

_The creature attempts to shake Mordecai off, but he maintains his grip, however he does start to slide underneath its wings and around to the side of the creature._

_Keeping one arm wrapped firmly around the creatures body, he finds himself face to face with the shiny object. He releases the creature with one hand and yanks the object out of the its grasp._

MORDECAI

Thank you. Catch!

_He tosses the object towards Lilith who catches it between her hands._

_Mordecai suddenly drops, but manages to grab one of the creatures arms. The creature shifts slightly closer to the platform and Brick steps forwards to the edge._

BRICK

Mordy!

_He holds out an arm towards Mordecai. Mordecai reaches back but he's just outside of arms length._

_The creature he's hanging on to, suddenly pulls out its blades causing Mordecai to let go of its arm. He drops._

_Brick dives forwards onto his stomach, almost right off the edge of the platform as Mordecai drops and just manages to grab his arm._

_Quite easily pulling a white faced Mordecai up from below the platform, Brick places him on the platform where he takes a few shaky steps towards the opening._

ROLAND

Come on. Lets go!

_All four of them exit the cave._

196. EXT. TRASH COAST, MOUNTAIN LEDGE – DAY

_They emerge onto the ledge to find a number of the creatures from inside the cave are already flying around the open area. They appear to be fighting with the Rakk, which are still swooping in various directions in large flocks. The Rakk Hive, has made its way to the far end of the platform, blocking the path that leads down the mountain._

_Even more creatures flow out of the cave behind the four hero's. A group of them fly right through the main characters, knocking Lilith and Roland to the ground. As one lands nearby, Brick pulls back an arm and punches the creature in the jaw. The creature stumbles back a few paces._

_The area is suddenly filled with the a roar from the Rakk Hive as it charges into the creatures who are fighting the Rakk a number of feet off the ground._

_As it plows through the middle of the crowd, the Hive manages to knock one of the creatures out of the air, sending it crashing to the ground and bumps two others, although they recover pretty quickly._

_The Hive comes to a stop near the sheer drop at the ledge and spins around. A number of the flying creatures shoot their blue beams at the Hive. It rears up in response, balancing only a few feet from the edge._

_Roland fires at one of the creatures as it approaches him, swinging its blades. As it gets close enough, he ducks underneath one of its swings and rams the butt of his gun into its face._

_On the other side of the ledge, the Rakk Hive spits out a stream of its acidic goo. The attack hits a number of the flying creatures but seems to have no effect. A number of Rakk are also hit by the attack, all of which fall to the ground and start screeching in pain._

_Three of the creatures surround Lilith. Looking around desperately, she stops, standing dead still for a moment, before disappearing, sending out a shock wave, which pushes all three of the creatures back._

_Mordecai finds himself facing one of the craetures on foot. Having lost his weapon inside the cave, he backs up nervously as the creature approaches._

_Diving out of the air, Bloodwing makes a reappearance, hoving by the creatures face and trying to dig his talons into its eyes._

_The shield surrounding the creature stops the bird, but it manages to distract it from Mordecai. The distraction isn't really made the most of as Mordecai stands his ground and watches the struggle between Bloodwing and the creature. The creature swings a blade at Bloodwing, but the bird dodges back and swoops back in for another try at its eyes. As Mordecai watches this he doesn't notice the massive shape rapidly approaching from behind them until the last second._

_Snapping his attention to the Hive charging in his direction, Mordecai dives to the side and just avoids being crushed as the Hive tears past him. The flying creature isn't so lucky, getting caught underneath the hive's feet and being battered and rolled around by its thick legs._

_Bloodwing jumps away from the creature just on time and avoids being caught underneath the Hive. Mordecai turns towards the open edge of the mountain ledge and looks out._

_As the Hive stops its charge, Brick finds himself near its legs. He gives the Rakk he was holding one final punch for good measure and starts to run to the other side of the ledge, putting distance between the Hive and him._

_Above the ledge, the skys are a flurry of Rakk and the flying creatures, swoping in and out of one another, all at each others throats. Blue blasts from the flying creatures streak through the air taking out large numbers of Rakk. Others are cut down by blade swings. Numerous Rakk fall to the ground, but the fling creatures still don't appear to be taking any damage at all._

_Seeing Brick dashing across the ledge, Mordecai darts frowards and attempts to catch up with him. He's stopped however, as one of the flying creatures flies into him. Mordecai ends up sprawled on his side._

_He doesn't have any time to worry about the creature however as the Rakk Hive charges in his direction again. Mordecai rolls to the side to avoid being crushed and the Hive charges straight over the top of him._

_Roland is stood in the middle of the platform still trying to fend off two of the flying creatures. One of the blades slipps through his defences and creates a deep gash in his arm. Roland cries out in pain and responds by firing a number of bullets right into the creatures face._

_Mordecai rolls onto his stomach and looks up at the Hive as it rears up onto its back legs and spins back towards the battle._

_A Rakk lands on Mordecai's back. He rolls over, knocking it off with the back of his hand. The creature flaps its wings and hovers a few feet above Mordecai as he stands up._

_The Hive finally comes back down onto its front feet and splits another glob of acidic goo from its mouth._

_The goo flies in Mordecai's direction who avoids it by running forwards, towards the Hive and finds himself underneath its body. He darts around its front leg which stamps against the ground and turns ninety degrees, running out to the Hive's side._

_A loud roar comes from behind him, but this does not sound like any of the noises the creature has made before._

_The noise draws Roland's attention from the creatures he's parrying with the barrel of his gun._

_Mordecai turns around just in time to see a small ship fly up from below the ledge. Although, small for a flying craft, its still the size of a small house._

_A large turret on the side of the ship, begins firing shells at the Rakk Hive, causing it to stumble to the side, towards Mordecai with the impact._

_As the turret fires, the ship levels itself out with the ledge and an opening appear at the back of the ship, folding down into a small ramp. A soldier appears in the opening._

_Mordecai darts back towards the middle of the platform, attempting to run around the Rakk Hive._

_ Looking out, the soldier sees Mordecai and beckons him over._

SOLDIER

Come on! Get in!

_Mordecai immediately runs for the ship. To his side, he sees a number of Rakk go flying as Lilith reappears, still holding the vault key fragment. She also runs for the small ship._

_Running next to Mordecai and matching pace with him, she passes over the fragment._

LILITH

Here.

_Mordecai almost drops the fragment as he grabs it from Lilith but he manages to hold onto it tightly and continues to race forwards. The Rakk Hive stumbles into their path and they dodge to the side, trying to keep clear of the ship's turret as it fires into the chaos on the ledge._

_The soldier continues to scan the ledge and spots Roland right in the middle. Waving his arms, the soldier catches Roland's attention and waves him over._

_Near Roland, Brick is wrestling with one of the creatures. Roland darts forwards and grabs Brick's arm. The massive man almost swings around and hits him, but realizes at the last moment that it's Roland._

_Roland indicates towards the ship with his head._

ROLAND

Oi! Come on!

_He continues his run towards the ship and Brick follows not far behind._

_Lilith is the first to reach the ship and jumps onto the ramp, disappearing inside. Mordecai is close behind her._

197. INT. LANCE SHIP, MAIN HOLD – DAY

_Mordecai reaches the safety of the ship and stops, bending over and leaning on his knees he catches his breath. Looking back, he's surprised to see Bloodwing fly through the opening and perch itself on his shoulder._

_Completely out of breath, Mordecai falls onto his haunches and closes his eyes, waiting for his energy to start coming back._

_He stands up and spins back at the noise of Roland boarding the ship, followed closely by Brick. From the opening, the soldier calls over a radio._

SOLDIER

They're in.

_The ship immediately starts moving away from the ledge and the opening starts to close. As the ship raises up, Mordecai looks back just in time to see the ships turret blow a massive hole in the back of the Rakk Hive, exposing ribs and muscle._

_He doesn't get to watch for long as the doors come to a close._

_As Mordecai turns back to the group, he notices about half a dozen Atlas soldiers approaching his companions._

_Lilith finishes catching her breath and looks up at Mordecai. She quickly glances down at the vault key fragment in his hands and a smile crosses her face._

_Roland turns to the soldier who was stood in the opening._

ROLAND

Your timing could not have been much better… What were you guys doing in the area?

_As Roland speaks, Lilith turns in his direction. The moment he asks his question, she suddenly feels one of the soldiers to her side grab both of her arms. She struggles against him but it's too late. Raising her arms, she curses at the glowing blue cuffs around her wrists._

LILITH

Oh shit!

_Her curse causes Roland to look her way. While he's distracted, the soldier he was talking to pulls out a pair of ordinary metal cuffs and locks both his hands before he can react. The cuffs push painfully against the device Tannis locked onto his arm earlier._

ROLAND

The hell!

_At the same time, Mordecai is also jumped and cuffed, the artefact pulled from his hand as this happens. Brick manages to put up a decent fight, knocking away the soldier who attempts to cuff him and then sending two more against the wall as they rush in to finish the job._

_One of the soldiers pulls out a pistil and shoots Brick in the leg, bringing the man to his knees and allowing three soldiers to surround him and finish doing up the cuffs. Brick pulls against the steel, muscles bulging, but its no good. Wincing, he pulls himself back onto two legs, but finds himself unable to move._

_Bloodwing takes flight and attempts to claw at the eyes of the nearest soldier. The soldier pulls down the visor on his helmet, avoiding the damage and reaches forwards with a thick glove, grabbing one of Bloodwings talons._

_Bloodwing bites down on the mans hand, biting through the glove and drawing blood, but the soldier grabs its other talon and locks them both in the same hand, effectively immobilising the bird. The soldier moves towards the doors at the back of the hold and starts to open them._

ROLAND

What's going on?

_At the back, the soldier throws Bloodwing out of the ship and quickly closes the door before it can regain its balance and fly back in._

_As the group bunch up and are surrounded by the soldiers, who are now pointing their guns at the four of them, a voice is heard from the front of the hold._

STEELE (O.S.)

And I was starting to wonder whether or not you would pull this off.

_From the front of the hold, Steele emerges from behind a large crate. The soldier with the artefact walks forwards and hands it to her. Steele holds the vault key up to her face and takes a moment to examine it. She turns to the four main characters._

STEELE

You have done a good job.

_She gives the vault key back to the soldier and walks over to the group, inspecting them one by one, slowly moving down the line. First Brick, then Mordecai, Roland and finally, she stops in front of Lilith. She seems to spend a lot longer on Lilith than the others._

STEELE

I want to thank you for doing as I asked.

_She steps away from Lilith and places herself in front of the group, a few paces back. Roland slowly turns towards Lilith. The glare he gives her is murderous._

_Steele reaches into her pants pocket and pulls out a small card, holding it up._

STEELE

As promised. Half of the agreed reward… Come and get it.

_Roland continues to stare at Lilith, the hatred bubbling in his eyes. However she doesn't move._

_A soft clink from behind Roland is heard. His face instantly drops as he immediately realises what the sound means, but can't bring himself to look around._

_From the group, Mordecai steps forwards._

_His hands are now freed and he reaches into his jacket, pulling out the small, pear shaped device. The glowing screen, flashing various strings of code indicates that it has been activated._

_He passes the device to Steele and retrieves the small card from her grasp. Roland finally finds it in himself to look at his former partner._

ROLAND

You bastard.

_Refusing to return Rolands glare, Mordecai's lips tighten. It's tough to make out what he's thinking as his mask covers the majority of his face. Steele gives Mordecai an amused look._

ROLAND

How much are they paying you? Huh! How much does it cost for Mordecai to betray his friends.

_Mordecai remains silent. He continues to stare at the floor, running his fingers over the card in his right hand. Next to Roland, Lilith gives Mordecai a questioning and betrayed look. _

ROLAND

ANSWER ME!

_Stepping forwards towards Roland Mordecai growls back an answer._

MORDECAI

They're giving me what you failed to deliver!

_Roland draws himself up and starts to step forwards. He's stopped by the dozens of soldiers in the room who all point their weapons at him._

ROLAND

What the hell is that supposed to mean?

_Mordecai gives him a moment to step back before continuing. His voice is slightly calmer._

MORDECAI

They offered me a chance to restart my life. I'm doing this because they're giving me a new farm and enough money to cover me for a while.

STEELE

Don't downplay your pleasures. You also could not resist the opportunity to screw over a Siren.

_Steele looks over towards Lilith. Her remark causes Lilith to snap her head up. Her eyes widen as she looks over at Mordecai._

LILITH

Is that true?

_Mordecai glances towards Lilith but quickly turns away as soon as he realizes he's done so._

MORDECAI

The Siren Wars took everything from me. Atlas have agreed to give it back.

_Roland scoffs._

ROLAND

That's it?

MORDECAI

That's it? How long have I been with you? Ten years? You do realize the only reason… the ONLY reason… I've hung around for so long is because you promised me… when I first signed up… you promised, that when we were done, I would have enough money to start over… Well guess what Roland; it never happened… The job was never done.

ROLAND

So? Admit it. You were having fun during those years.

MORDECAI

No. No! You… somehow.. seem to have this completely misguided notion that I actually enjoy running to my death on a regular basis. I'm done. You do realize your little crusade against Atlas has landed us on the Most Wanted list in practically every galaxy. Huh? Well today, there's one less name on those lists.

BRICK

Mord?

ROLAND

And all you had to do was deliver us to Atlas.

_Mordecai lets out a small laugh. It one of disbelief._

MORDECAI

Always about you, isn't it? No. No, you don't even come into this at all. They wanted me to help them find the vault.

_Roland pauses for a moment as a thought crosses his mind._

ROLAND

... You told Tannis to bring us here.

_He indicates towards the vault key fragment, still held by the soldier near Steele._

STEELE

Your friend is catching on it seems. You'll get the other half of your reward once the vault has been opened

ROLAND

Well you overlooked a few details there. You're a couple pieces shy of the full key, and even if we had the full thing, no-one here knows where the vault is.

JACK (O.S.)

That won't be a problem.

_Roland looks around as he hears the familiar, thick American drawl. Jack appears from behind the same crate that Steele initially came from. In front of him, he pushes along a handcuffed Tannis. Various red welts on her arms and face suggest that she's already put up a fight and lost. Roland rolls his eyes at Tannis._

ROLAND

Seriously? Are you going for some kind of record?

_Tannis just sniffs back at him. Jack however gives Roland a big smile._

JACK

Roland.

ROLAND

Jack. Thought you went down with the ship?

JACK

It was a bumpy landing, but I was all right.

_He stands next to the soldier with the vault key and picks it up._

JACK

This artifact is henceforth the property of the Atlas corporation. Is everyone else in high spirits to open this vault?

_Tannis pulls her head forwards and he releases her hair._

TANNIS

You can forget it. I'm not telling you were the vault is.

_From next to Mordecai, Steele lets out a soft chuckle._

STEELE

Don't worry You don't have to.

_As Steele lets out another small chuckle, Lilith runs her gaze over Steele as though looking for something._

_Feeling Lilith's eyes on her, Steele spins her head and locks eye contact with Lilith. After a beat, she turns back to Mordecai._

STEELE

It is time to go.

_Steele begins to walk back towards the front of the hold. Mordecai turns to follow but is interrupted by Lilith._

LILITH

Mordecai.

_Mordecai spins back towards her and looks at her through the yellow lens in his mask._

LILITH

I… I thought…

MORDECAI

You thought wrong.

_He turns to Roland, who has nothing more to say, but simply glares back at him through enraged eyes._

_After a moment, Mordecai turns away from his old friends and starts towards the front of the hold, following Steele. As he passes Jack, he hears the man call out to his Atlas soldiers._

JACK

Deal with them.

_Mordecai freezes, confusion washing over his face, which quickly turns to terror as he hears the first gun shot. Time seems to slow down as he whips himself back around to face his former companions, his face turning a pale white. He screams at the top of his lungs, a short, high pitched squeal._

MORDECAI

No!

_Roland falls to his knees. He balances there for a moment as a pool of blood forms between his legs from the bullet hole in his forehead. His eyes roll up into the back of his head as his body overbalances forwards and falls to the steel floor._

_Two more gunshots are heard and Lilith convulses violently as one small hole appears in her chest and a second just above her left eye. The force of the bullets knocks her backwards._

_Seeing his fate coming, Brick lashes out with his bound hands and knocks the nearest soldier onto his back. Roaring, he swings his body around and raises his arms above his head, bringing them down on the head of another soldier, who immediately collapses to the floor. He starts for a third soldier, but machine gun fire rings out from at least half a dozen guns, pocketing Brick with hundreds of bullet holes all over his body._

_As Brick falls to the ground, his eyes lock with Mordecai for a moment before losing their focus and disappearing from sight._

_Everything goes silent as the soldiers examine the three corpses in front of them. Mordecai's entire body is shaking as he stares at the scene in front of him._

_After what seems like a lifetime, he swings himself around and storms towards Steele, with long, rapid strides. As he approaches her, he curls his right hand into a fist._

MORDECAI

You told me they would BE UNHARMED!

_Hearing Mordecai behind her, Steele slowly turns to face him, just in time for her to cop a punch directly in the jaw. The force of Mordecai's punch would make Brick proud and causes her head to snap back, sending her reeling a good number of steps away from him. Both her hands go up to her face and she holds her jaw in pain._

_Mordecai steps forwards again, ready to take another swing, but Steele holds her right arm up and points her palm at Mordecai._

_He's caught completely by surprise as an invisible force lifts him off the ground and flings him backwards, slamming him painfully against the wall of the hold and keeping him there, pushed against the wall and floating about a foot off of the ground._

_Keeping her arm held out, Steele slowly walks towards Mordecai. As she gets closer a yellow glow starts to surround her entire body._

STEELE

And true to my word I did not touch any of your… friends.

_Reaching Mordecai, she glances behind her at Jack._

STEELE

He was not a part of our agreement.

_Pulling with every fibre of his being, Mordecai manages to break his right arm free of the invisible bonds and lashes forwards towards Steele's outstretched arm. He grabs a handful of her shirt sleeve before his arm is once again pushed back against the wall, tearing off her sleeve from just above the forearm._

_With nothing covering her arm, the markings running down her arm are clearly visible. Glowly softly and seeming to move slightly independently from the skin, as though they are located beneath it, just like the ones seen on Lilith's arm earlier._

_Mordecai looks down at the markings in horror._

MORDECAI

You!

_Steele glances down at the markings on her arms before looking back up at Mordecai._

STEELE

Me.

_The response is delivered mockingly. Steele looks as though she's just told a hilarious joke, however her face quickly turns dead serious. She puts herself nose to nose with Mordecai._

STEELE

If you are truly serious about wanting a new life, I would not be doing that again.

_Pulling away she releases Mordecai's bonds and he drops to the ground. The wind whips at his face, flicking his pony-tail around behind him as the back doors are opened._

_He looks around and spots Tannis stood terrified next to Jack._

_At the rear of the hold, three soldiers drag the bodies of Roland, Brick and Lilith to the ramp, which has been fully lowered and pushes them off the ship, allowing them to fall towards Pandora, miles below them._

_Mordecai is unable to move. Instead, he remains on the ground, on his knees and leaning on his hands. In front of him, the doors to the hold slam shut with a metallic clang._

198. EXT. KROMS CANYON, HIGHEST TIER – DAY

_A bandit, climbs the ladder to the highest level of the bandit camp and moves towards the small alcove where Krom's turret is located. As he approaches it, he calls out._

BANDIT

Barron. Barron!

_There's a small crowd in the alcove all with their back to the bandit. Hearing the call, Nine-toes turns to face the bandit and steps down._

NINE-TOES

What is it?

_The bandit glances back into the alcove, but speaks to Nine-toes_.

BANDIT

It's Tannis. She's moving… fast.

_The bandit takes a moment as some of the people inside the alcove turn towards him._

BANDIT

She's going to the vault.

_Hearing this, Nine-toes turns back towards the alcove. The last figure slowly turns towards the bandit._

_Flynt is definitely worse for wear. Half of his face appears to have been scraped off, he's covered from head to toe in massive bruises and cuts and he's nursing one arm in a sling._

_Despite this, he manages to contort his face into an attempted grin as he hears the bandit's news._


	14. Shaken and Stirred

Welcome to act 3. Just a short one this time, but with only two chapters left following this one it serves its purpose as the set-up for the final showdown. That and I always like including Claptrap and his outlandish antics as often as I can. Anyway, hope you enjoy. The next may take me a while.

* * *

199. INT. TANNIS'S SHACK, MAIN ROOM – DAY

_The teleportation device in the corner of Tannis's shack begins to hum softly as the screen springs to life. After a moment of throwing up random code, the screen turns a deep red and begins beeping. Starting off reasonably slow, the beeping slowly beins to speed up, faster and faster until the beeps blend into a single drawn out noise._

_Three quick flashes, much brighter than any that this or other machines have let off, fill the room. As they subside Roland, Brick and Lilith are revealed lying on the ground motionless. There's no sign of bullet damage on their body's and all the cuts and bruises they received prior to facing the Rakk Hive have disappeared._

_For a moment everything is completely still._

_Roland is the first to move, groaning painfully and rolling onto his side. As he slowly pushes himself up to a semi-seated position, Lilith also begins to move, stretching out her legs and immediately flicking both her hands up to her chest. She breathes heavily._

_Having sat up, Roland nurses his head in his hands. Letting out a slow breath he moves his left hand down to scratch at an itch on his wrist._

_After a few scratches he pauses and holds his wrist in front of his face, taking note of the pale patch of skin where the device Tannis locked to his wrist used to be._

ROLAND

So that's how you get it off.

_Behind him, Lilith pulls herself up to a seated position. She looks past Roland and her eyes suddenly go wide. Hearing her sit up, Roland glances around at her before quickly spinning around to look behind him when he notices her look._

_He finds himself staring down the barrel of a pistil._

CLAPTRAP

Stop right there, you good for nothing, scurvy dawgs.

_At first it appears as through Claptrap is holding the gun at Roland, however closer inspection reveals that it's just taped to the end of the robots arm, the trigger miles away from anything that could possibly pull it._

CLAPTRAP

Why I aught to shoot you where you stand!

_Beyond Lilith, Brick sits up. Suddenly Claptrap yells out._

CLAPTRAP

BANG! ... BANG BANG! Bang. Bang? Ba… bang… …

_The first one causes Roland and Lilith to jump slightly, but after that they just sit there and watch the robot as it continues to yell at them._

CLAPTRAP

WILL YOU JUST DIE ALREADY!

ROLAND

Not yet.

_Roland reaches forwards and grabs the Claptraps arm. He fumbles with the tape, tearing it from around the gun. As he does so, Lilith and Brick shakily stand up._

_It doesn't take Lilith long to discover the absence of Tannis's device and piece two and two together. Brick however doesn't even look at his wrist but lets his eyes dart around Tannis's shack, trying to figure out how he made it here when he should be lying dead on the floor._

_Roland meanwhile manages to free the gun from around the Claptraps arm, who is crying out all kind of random objections._

CLAPTRAP

Oi. Get off me. This is unauthorised manhandling. RAPE! RAPE! Hey. You wanna take it easy before you break that off!

_Grabbing the pistil, Roland stands up._

ROLAND

Right.

_Spinning around he points the gun at Lilith._

LILITH

Jesus?

_She's caught by surprise and instinctively reacts by trying to pull up her shield. She doesn't have enough energy left however and it fizzles out, not even really forming in the first place._

_Brick cries out and steps forwards but Roland calls back to him._

ROLAND

Brick. Stand back.

_Roland pushes the pistil closer. Seeing this conflict brewing, Claptrap spins on his wheel and disappears into the piles of broken equipment._

CLAPTRAP

Oh dear!

LILITH

What the hell are you doing?

ROLAND

What did you do to him? What did you say?

LILITH

What?!

ROLAND

I want to know why my best friend just gave us over for Atlas to kill.

LILITH

I had nothing to do with that.

ROLAND

Don't play this bullshit on me. You're a god damn siren, all right. So the way I see it one of two things are happening here: Either you're directly responsible for Mordecai's actions, or you knew exactly what he was planning and chose to let it go ahead.

_Finally understanding where Roland is coming from, Brick's face drops as he glares menacingly at Lilith._

LILITH

You may not have noticed, but they killed me as well.

ROLAND

This is Atlas we're talking about. That strikes me as no surprise at all.

LILITH

I am not responsible for what your so-called friend did. I had no idea he'd betray us like that.

ROLAND

That is complete bull. You'd have to be pretty damn thick not to pick up on something that big.

LILITH

You obviously didn't pick up on it.

ROLAND

I can't read his goddamn mind!

LILITH

Neither can I…

_This causes Roland to pause._

LILITH

I've lost my powers.

ROLAND

Uh-huh. Didn't look like you lost them earlier.

LILITH

No, not... Not all of them. But can't listen to people's thoughts anymore. I only have a handful left that still work and the few skills I do have, I can't even use properly.

ROLAND

Lost your powers? And how did this happen?

LILITH

Atlas... The cuffs, they put on to block me using them.

_Roland continues to glare at Lilith, his eyes drilling into hers. After a moment he lowers the pistil, but doesn't remove his gaze._

LILITH

You want to know what the Siren is whispering in Mordecai's ear? Try asking that Albino bitch he was stood next to on the ship.

ROLAND

She was…?

_Roland stops himself and rolls his eyes, letting out a half laugh, half sigh of disbelief._

ROLAND

Six Siren's left in the galaxy and Mordecai manages to make friendly with two of them on the same day. What are the chances?

_He turns around and walks away, making straight for the front door._

LILITH

Where are you going?

ROLAND

I need some air. I've just been killed… … … again.

_The last word is said softly to himself._

_Lilith watches as he exits the small shack and slams the small door behind him. As the echo caused by the bang dies down, Claptrap can be seen picking itself up from behind one of the piles of rubble._

_From behind Lilith, Brick suddenly speaks up._

BRICK

Mordecai had a point.

_Lilith spins back towards Brick, her eyes wide in a feigned surprise._

LILITH

It talks?!

_The jibe is said sarcastically and not meant to be taken seriously, but Brick looks a little bit hurt as he pushes his lower jaw up and glares at Lilith out of the side of his eyes. He clenches his fists, cracking his knuckles._

LILITH

Sorry.

_Brick maintains his eye contact for a moment longer before breaking away. He reaches down into his black vest and fumbles with a hidden pocket, eventually pulling out a small folded up photo. He passes it over to Lilith._

_Grabbing the picture, she unfolds it and looks down and looks down at an image of a young girl, beaming with an arm wrapped over a small dog._

LILITH

Who's this?

BRICK

My sister.

_Lilith folds the picture and hands it back._

LILITH

She's pretty, but how is this related to Mordecai?

BRICK

She was took away when I was made a slave. Roland said he would help to look for her when I joined in with his team.

_Lilith takes a moment to make the connection._

LILITH

He never did, did he?

_Brick shakes his head._

BRICK

I think he knows; if we found her I'm going to leave the group.

LILITH

And Mordecai was more than ready to run if he ever got the money he was promised…

_Lilith takes a quick glance towards the door Roland exited through._

LILITH

I knew I couldn't trust that man. Roland's been using you.

CLAPTRAP

What a bastard.

_Brick and Lilith both spin around in surprise to face Claptrap, who has moved in just behind them._

CLAPTRAP

Why I've got a mind to go out there and give him a good whats-for.

_Lilith can't help but stare at the small robot for a moment before turning back to Brick._

LILITH

You want my advice. Don't give him the pleasure. Get away from Roland, right now and do what you have to on your own.

_She gives Claptrap one quick final glance before turning her back and striding towards the door leading outside._

200. EXT. RUST COMMONS, ENCLOSED VALLEY - DAY

_Lilith refuses to look back at the small shack as she steps out into the sun and immediately makes a course for the small slope leading towards the narrow crevase in the valley. She gets about half way to the slope before a voice calls out from behind her._

ROLAND

Where are you off to so fast?

_Hearing his voice, Lilith spins and practically spits back, frustration building in her voice._

LILITH

Not that its any of your business. I'm going to the vault.

ROLAND

Hoping to catch your boyfriend there?

_Lilith begins to storm back towards him._

LILITH

After what he did? He is not my…

_She stops, staring at Roland for a second before spinning away from him again._

LILITH

Forget it. You're not worth my time.

_She begins to walk away again. Back at the shack, Roland raises an arm and taps on the metal exterior plating._

ROLAND

You know, these walls are amazingly thin.

_Lilith keeps moving away from him and he's forced to raise his voice in order to reach her._

ROLAND

Do you want to know why Brick hasn't heard anything about his sister?

_This causes Lilith to stop. Once again she spins back to face Roland, but refuses to actually start moving back towards him. Not wanting to shout his next few lines, Roland moves in towards her._

ROLAND

About four years ago, I heard a rumour. Word was that she had been killed on one of Hephaestus's moons. I don't know if you've looked at the size of that man recently, but I'm not going anywhere near him with a rumour like that without some solid facts to back it up.

LILITH

So why didn't you go and get your facts?

ROLAND

You may recall Mordecai mentioning that we're on a number of Most Wanted lists.

LILITH

Why are you telling me this?

_Roland doesn't answer. After a moment he responds with a question of his own._

ROLAND

You don't seem like the treasure hunting type. Why are you so interested in the vault?

_Lilith takes a moment to come up with a suitable answer._

LILITH

Clarification.

_Roland thins his eyes as he stares back at Lilith, attempting to read her face._

ROLAND

You know.

LILITH

Know what?

ROLAND

What they found on Prometheus.

LILITH

If I knew that, I wouldn't be here.

ROLAND

But you know what they did with it.

_Her silence and sudden uneasiness to look into his eyes, answers the question for him._

ROLAND

You want to get to the vault… and I want to get you there.

_Lilith scoffs at the thought of following Roland again._

LILITH

Your ability to lead a team today has left me wanting.

_Roland rolls his eyes and turns away from Lilith, not even bothering to push his intent. He takes a few steps back towards Tannis's shack._

LILITH

You've spent all day fighting against us finding the vault. What's changed?

_Roland stops and glances back._

ROLAND

Earlier, there was nothing in there I wanted. Now there is.

_He continues his walk back to the hut and disappears inside. Lilith looks around towards the small canyon and potential freedom from Roland. A moment passes. Growling to herself at her own decision, she turns, and jogs back towards the shack._

201. INT. TANNIS'S SHACK, MAIN ROOM – DAY

_Brick sits alone in a corner of the shack. There's no sign of Claptrap. Roland strides through the room back towards the desk at the back. As he does so he mutters to himself._

ROLAND

OK. There's got to be some clues around here somewhere.

_He walks over to the globe of Pandora and gives it a spin. The lamp has been moved away from the globe. As the globe's rotation begins to slow, he turns away and looks back into the room._

ROLAND

Hey! Robot!

_Claptrap leans out from a doorway leading into a small side room._

CLAPTRAP

Wha' chu want?

ROLAND

You've been with Tannis a while, right?

_As Claptrap answers, Lilith enters through the front door._

CLAPTRAP

A while? Heh. Too long, some would say. I often feel like I should hate her for keeping me as long as she has… but she's programmed me not to.

LILITH

Do you even know what hate is?

_Roland looks beyond Claptrap towards Lilith._

CLAPTRAP

No… What is it?

ROLAND

You know that feeling when just looking at someone causes your blood to boil and every nerve in your body just wants to snap their neck?

_There's a brief pause._

CLAPTRAP

… … I'm a robot. You lost me at 'feeling'.

_Rolling his eyes Roland jumps straight back on task._

ROLAND

Do you know where Tannis would have kept the location of the vault?

CLAPTRAP

Uhh, yeah.

_Reaching up with a spindly arm, Claptrap taps the top of its square head._

ROLAND

You know where it is?

CLAPTRAP

Of course I do. Tannis didn't trust her computer with sensitive information like that.

ROLAND

And yet you're about to tell us without the need to even hack in.

CLAPTRAP

...I am?

ROLAND

Yeah.

CLAPTRAP

… … Oh.

_Roland spins around to face Brick._

ROLAND

Brick. You ready to get moving?

BRICK

No.

_His blunt rejection catches Roland by surprise._

ROLAND

Hey?

_Roland takes a step towards Brick. The giant of a man is still sat in the corner, resting on an old piece of machinery, which at first glance almost seems to resemble and early failed version of Claptrap. In his hands he holds the picture he gave to Lilith earlier._

_Roland turns and glares at Lilith. She responds with a victorious smile._

ROLAND

Brick. I've… recently come across some information regarding your sister.

_This causes Brick to look up._

ROLAND

As soon as we get back from the vault, I'll fill you in.

_Brick narrows his eyes and stares at Roland for a moment before turning back to his picture._

BRICK

You're lying.

_This causes Roland more than a little surprise._

ROLAND

What? I would never.

_Brick jumps up and storm towards Roland, yelling the next line._

BRICK

Then tell me now!

_He puts himself nose to nose with Roland and crunches his fists. Roland refuses to move backwards as Brick steps up and maintains constant eye contact. However he chooses not to argue against the man in front of him._

ROLAND

She may be on one of Hephaestus's moons.

BRICK

We go there, now.

ROLAND

If we let Jack get his grubby little fingers on whatever's in that vault, we'll have a hard enough time getting off this planet. And you can forget the idea of ever docking again.

_Brick takes a moment to think over Roland's words._

BRICK

Vault first then. And then we go and find my sister.

ROLAND

Sounds like a deal.

_Brick folds up the picture and places it in his vest once more. Roland turns back Lilith._

ROLAND

Right then. Pretty straight forward plan. Hit the vault, save Tannis, defeat Jack and his cronies and deal with… heh… You know, Mordecai and I were best friends for a long time… that's why I want to be the one to kill him.

_He spins to the Claptrap._

ROLAND

Claptrap. Tell us where to find the vault.

_Claptrap jumps up, sounding exceptionally eager and enthusiastic._

CLAPTRAP

All right! I finally feel useful for once. The vault is…

_Suddenly his lens turns a deep red._

CLAPTRAP

Warning! Error 37! Unable to access secure data! Please provide proper authorization and try again later!

_The robot falls over backwards and seems to go through a restart. After a moment it pulls itself back onto its wheel._

_Lilith looks over at Roland, giving him an amused look._

CLAPTRAP

Ah, nuts!

LILITH

Any other ideas?

_Roland's shoulder's slumps. He raises a hand to his chin and taps it twice, deep in thought. After a moment he pulls it down._

ROLAND

I've got nothing. Brick?

_He looks over at his partner who just shakes his head. Lilith rolls her eyes._

LILITH

Move over.

_She pushes Roland to one side and kneels down in front of Claptrap._

LILITH

Claptrap. Don't tell us where the vault is…

_Roland leans down towards Lilith._

ROLAND

I don't want to stop you while you're on a roll, but your logic has an ever so slight, major flaw.

_Lilith responds with a dirty look in Roland's direction. Slowly he backs up and returns to a standing position. Lilith returns her attention to Claptrap._

LILITH

Take us there instead.

_Claptrap stands completely motionless for a moment. Suddenly his lens turns red again, then green, bright purple and finally returns to its normal colour. It turns towards the teleportation device in the corner of the room._

CLAPTRAP

This way.

_It moves off. Lilith stands up and gives Roland a smug look. She follows Claptrap, walking between Roland and Brick. The two men glance at each other before turning together to watch the girl and robot moving away._

ROLAND

Hang on! Wait. Wait, wait, wait.

_Lilith stops and spins back._

LILITH

What?

ROLAND

There's one quick thing I need to do before we leave.

_He pats his hip where he's slipped the pistil he took from Claptrap._

202. INT. FYRESTONE, MARCUS'S BAR – DAY

_Marcus stands behind his bar examining a new Rocket Launcher. As runs his hand over the long tube, Roland steps up to the bar casting a shadow over the gun. This grabs Marcus's attention._

MARCUS

My friend?

ROLAND

Marcus. You remember that offer you made me earlier?


	15. Pandora's Box

Well, here we are at last. When I first started this project I did make a point of saying that I would be changing up quite a few story details and this is without a doubt the biggest alteration. There were a number of factors that influenced my decision to go inside the vault for the climax of the piece, but the main one is that as I was plotting out the narrative arcs all the way back in day one, it just made more sense for many of them to be resolved in there rather than sat at the front door. It also allowed me to play with a few new ideas I had which you'll find as you go through this chapter. My other main goal here was just to try and make this chapter as epic as possible, squeezing in as many memorable moments and encounters as I could. Its up to you to determine how successful I was there though, so for the second to last time, I really hope you enjoy this latest chapter.

* * *

203. EXT. ERIDIAN PROMONTORY, LOWER MOUNTAIN PASS – SUNRISE

_Rays of sunlight just begin to peak over the top of snow capped mountains as the planet slowly lines itself up to the optimal position for the vault to open. While most of the mountains are already quite tall, especially by Earth standards, one peak sits almost twice as high, jutting out from the masses._

_About two thirds of the way up this mountain Roland, Lilith and Brick follow Claptrap as it wheels itself along a thin path, humming a bouncy tune to itself._

_Roland pulls his arms into his chest and comes to a stop as snow very lightly falls around him. Looking out at a nearby slope he calls back to Brick._

ROLAND

Hey Brick. Fancy a ski?

_Brick gazes out at the scenery, currently bathed in a harsh red glow, from the rising sun. The slopes Roland were indicating towards extend down from near the top of the mountain and continue almost right the way to the bottom. The slope appears to be almost completely smooth, with only the occasional bump or tree poking out to break up the flat surface._

_Lilith sneaks up behind the two men and allows herself a moment to take in the view, following the curve of the slope from near the top to the bottom._

LILITH

I'm not sure about the stop at the end.

_Near the bottom, where the slope starts to flatten out, a large gully is chiselled out dropping down at least a few hundred meters._

_As the three characters step back a loud roaring noise is heard coming from above them._

_Throwing his arms out, so that he can pull Brick and Lilith with him, Roland pulls them both back against the mountain wall and looks up towards in the direction the noise is coming from._

_Not too far above them, the Atlas ship that rescued them from the Rakk Hive earlier flies overhead, slowing down rapidly and turning itself to face towards the mountain._

_Moving forwards it disappears behind one of the slopes and the noise is cut down as the mountain wall blocks the sound._

_Roland slowly peels himself away from the wall and takes a few steps forwards, looking out towards the area where the ship disappeared. To his left Claptrap speaks._

CLAPTRAP

Not far now.

204. EXT. ERIDIAN PROMONTORY, VAULT ENTRANCE – SUNRISE

_The Atlas ship hovers next to a small, flat plateau near the top of the mountain. A few trees are scattered about the area but the obvious main features are a number of crumbling remains which seem to resemble long destroyed pillars and arches, and a round dais near the centre, with various unknown symbols circling a hole in the middle._

_The rear entrance of the Atlas ship slowly opens, forming a ramp, which floats a few feet above the surface of the ground. Jack appears in the entrance, dragging Tannis along beside him. Behind them Steele and Mordecai emerge from the cargo hold._

_Jack stands on the edge of the ramp with Tannis, taking a moment to drink in the sight before him. As the sun rises over the top of the mountain, there's a very clear line on the ground separating sunlight and shade. The line is within a few feet of the dais but has not yet reached it._

JACK

What a wonderful morning.

_He smiles in Tannis's direction before putting a hand against her back and giving her a short, but firm shove off of the ramp._

_Tannis hits the plateau on her feet but she's unable to maintain her balance and her knees give way, causing her to hit the ground on her side and roll onto her back, letting out a cry of pain. Lightly jumping down from the ramp, Jack lands next to Tannis and turns back as two more soft thuds accompany Steele and Mordecai landing in the thin layer of snow covering the ground._

_Leaving Tannis on the ground, Jack walks towards the dais and rubs a gloved hand over the stone, brushing off some of the snow._

_Behind him, Steele has taken a few steps forwards but has stopped about half way to the Dais. Back near the ship, Mordecai leans over and attempts to help Tannis off of the ground._

MORDECAI

Are you all right?

_Tannis pulls her cuffed hands away from Mordecai and presses back into the snow, refusing to move._

TANNIS

Peachy.

_At the Dais, Jack runs his hand around the inside of the hollow, peering down into the cutout and trying to make sense of what he's seeing. After a moment he turns around to face Steele._

JACK

Bring it.

_Steele holds a small radio up to her mouth._

STEELE

Unload the cargo.

_From the ship, no less than thirty soldiers emerge, all covered in thick Crimson Lance armour. Behind them an Outrunner roars to life inside the hold. Mixed in with the Lance soldier are four wearing an Atlas uniform. The leader of this small contingent is nearing middle aged and proudly displays a number of badges and emblems on his uniform. A sword hangs to his side, attached to a buckle circling his waist and in his hands he carries the assembled vault key._

_As the key exits the ship and hits the direct sunlight, it lets out an audible hum and begins to glow. The Atlas soldier passes the key to a Lance as he jumps down from the ramp before recovering it and marching straight past Mordecai and Steele towards Jack. The troupe of Lance soldiers quickly make their way down from the ship and line up just behind Steele._

_As the Outrunner rolls down the ramp and hits the ground, bouncing a few times as it comes to a stop, Steele holds the radio to her face again._

STEELE

Retrieve the next unit.

_The ships engines roar back to life and it begins to move away from the platform, the rear doors closing as it does so._

_By the dais, the Atlas soldier reaches Jack and gently places the key in his hands. Jack spins towards the dais and starts to raise the key above it, however he's stopped when a loud, high pitched shriek rolls through the area causing him to lower the key and look around, searching for the origin of the noise. Behind him, the Lance soldier are instantly on guard, raising their guns at the noise and moving to form a perimeter. _

205. EXT. ERIDIAN PROMONTORY, LOWER MOUNTAIN PASS – SUNRISE

_The same shriek echoes down the mountain and can still be heard clearly by the three lead characters and Claptrap still making their way up the thin mountain path. As the noise dies down, Roland and Lilith both look behind them, taking note of the various sections of path they used to get to their current location._

_Brick spins his head erratically trying to locate the source of the noise, however Roland and Lilith both turn themselves back on task and continue moving up the mountain._

ROLAND

There are two things I'm really hoping that's not.

_He lowers his voice and says the next line under his breath._

ROLAND

And one of them is Steele being pleasured.

_Lilith rolls her eyes at the bad joke but continues to move up the mountain next to Roland._

206. EXT. ERIDIAN PROMONTORY, THIN PASSAGE – SUNRISE

_A thin passage is cut into the rock. Although glimpses of the small plateau can be seen, thick bushes obscure most of the view. Jack and Steele's voices can be heard filtering through the passage although individual words cannot be made out._

_Roland crouches down and slowly makes his way down the small passage, stopping just behind the bushes and attempting to peer through the branches. Lilith approaches silently behind him. Roland spins around as he hears the Claptraps wheel crunching through the snow as it approaches him. Obviously unaware of the danger, the robot lets out a number of soft beeps and whistles._

_Roland holds a hand up towards Claptrap, indicating for it to stop. Claptrap halts and Roland raises a finger to his lips before turning back to the bush. Gently reaching through he softly pushes a few branches out of the way, creating a small hole that he can look through._

207. EXT. ERIDIAN PROMONTORY, VAULT ENTRANCE – SUNRISE

_The Lance soldiers have spread out around the plateau and are trying to cover various points of the perimeter. The Outrunner has been parked at the opposite edge to the thin passage. A handful of Lance soldiers stand near Jack and Steele, who are speaking softly to one another. Mordecai is still stood near the edge with Tannis, who is lying flat on her back in the snow. Jack holds the vault key in his hands and watches the day/night line, which has moved over the round dais and sits only a few inches from the hollow in its centre._

_After a moment, Steele turns back to Mordecai._

STEELE

The girl will miss her own show if she stays like this. Mordecai, bring her over here.

_Steele turns back to Jack._

_Mordecai reaches down and grabs Tannis's arm, trying to pull her off of the floor. Tannis resists however, making it difficult for him._

TANNIS

No, get off me.

_Mordecai shakes his head, annoyed and grabs her with both hands, yanking her to her feet._

MORDECAI

Please? This is hard enough already.

TANNIS

Good!

_Tannis spits back at him, but having been placed on her feet, she decides against returning to the ground and allows herself to be walked forwards by Mordecai towards the dais. As they approach, Jack turns back towards them and reaches out, taking Tannis's arm from Mordecai._

JACK

Don't be like that. We saved you the best seat in the house.

TANNIS

I hope there are plenty of traps in there to take you out.

JACK

We might have to send you first. That's what you wanted. Isn't it? To be the first person inside the vault.

_As he speaks he waves the vault key in and out of the sunlight, watching it glow when hit by direct sunlight and dull when it enters the shade. He steps around to the side of the dais taking Tannis with him. Steele is still looking down at the round object, watching the shadow line._

STEELE

It is time.

_The line has just passed the edge of the hollow._

_Jack glances over at Tannis and then down towards the dais as she speaks. Letting out a smile he turns back to Tannis._

JACK

Would you like the honor, or shall I?

_He points the key towards Tannis, as though offering it to her, however they are both caught by surprise when the key is suddenly pulled out of his hands and floats in mid air. They both look over to Steele who has a hand held out in the direction of the key._

208. EXT. ERIDIAN PROMONTORY, THIN PASSAGE – SUNRISE

_Roland watches through the branches as Steele stretches out a hand and causes the key to float up from Jacks grasp. As the key positions itself above the Dais, Roland turns to his right towards Lilith._

ROLAND

Here we go.

_He looks back at Brick, who's couched besides Claptrap._

ROLAND

You ready?

CLAPTRAP

I'm not sure.

_Brick slowly turns towards Claptrap, giving the robot's out of turn answer a funny look. After a beat, Brick holds his fists up by his face and crunches his knuckles, showing off the various nuts, bolts and other various sharp objects attached to his knuckles. One particularly long screw pokes through the gap in his fist where his middle finger was ripped off during their crash landing earlier._

209. EXT. ERIDIAN PROMONTORY, VAULT ENTRANCE – SUNRISE

_The key floats above the hollow as the four characters stood around the dais watch it slowly lower. Jack and Tannis are stood on one side and Steele is on the other. Mordecai is stood a few paces behind the dais in the sunlight._

_The key slowly moves towards the hollow stopping about a foot above its intended lock. Steele stops for a moment and takes a moment to line up the key properly before dropping the key right into the hollow. The key slips right in, twisting slightly as it does so, locking itself in. Everyone stares at the dais._

_Nothing happens._

_Checking out the shadow line, Jack notices some weird artifacting in what is otherwise a reasonably straight line. Looking up to his right he gives an amused smile as he sees Tannis holding up both of her hands to the sun, throwing a shadow over the portion of the key that should be illuminated._

_Reaching up with a single hand, he gently pushes Tannis arm down._

_ Almost immediately the key begins to glow. From the centre of the dais, thin groves begin to light up a shade of bright blue. This extends outwards until a good number of the symbols carved into the dais are glowing._

_From the bottom of the dais two thick lines extend out towards two of the crumbling columns near the wall of the mountain. As the lines hit the columns, symbols begin to glow on them as well._

_A loud scaping noise is heard from the cliff side of the plateau causing the characters stood by the dais to spin. A number of the large rocks laying about the ground begin to shake violently. After a moment they lift up from the ground, hovering about four meters in the air._

_One by one, the pieces fly towards the glowing pillars and attach themselves, symbols on their surface lighting up as they do so. Both of the self forming pillars begin to arch towards each other, eventually meeting at the apex._

_There's a loud buzzing noise and the space beneath the newly formed arch springs to life. The air wavers for a moment before lighting up, throwing a bright blue field up, filling the entire space within the arch._

_Jack steps forwards, revelling in the sight._

JACK

Now will you look at that.

_He turns back._

JACK

It's beautiful.

_He looks over at the nearest Lance soldier and indicates towards the blue field. The soldier slowly approaches the field._

210. EXT. ERIDIAN PROMONTORY, THIN PASSAGE – SUNRISE

_Roland leans back and turns towards Lilith._

ROLAND

Not saying that was anticlimactic, but I was starting to expect the mountain to split open or something. A bolt of lightening at least.

211. EXT. ERIDIAN PROMONTORY, VAULT ENTRANCE – SUNRISE

_The Lance soldier throws a small stone at the blue field. The stone seems to disappear the moment it hits the surface. Deciding to try something slightly more adventurous, he stands next to the field and pushes the barrel of his gun into the field. Pulling it out a moment later, he finds that the weapon appears completely untouched._

_Stealing a quick glance back at Steele, the Lance soldier steps forwards, disappearing into the field._

_Jack watches the blue field for a moment before spinning around to Tannis and in the same movement pulling out his pistil and shooting her point blank in the forehead._

_Mordecai jumps back, letting out a surprised cry as Tannis crumples and falls to the ground, spraying blood over the snow behind her. Steele barely moves, completely unsurprised by the action._

JACK

I want to thank you for your help.

212. EXT. ERIDIAN PROMONTORY, THIN PASSAGE – SUNRISE

_Lilith turns away from the scene, cursing._

LILITH

Shit!

_The curse catches Roland's attention._

ROLAND

Make life easier for us at least.

LILITH

How do you figure that?

_Roland quickly peers through the branches before shuffling towards Lilith so that he can keep his voice down._

ROLAND

They disappear inside the vault. All we have to do is run out, destroy that… pedestal thing and take the key. Lock them in.

_Lilith opens her mouth to respond but a noise from the plateau steels Roland's attention._

213. EXT. ERIDIAN PROMONTORY, VAULT ENTRANCE – SUNRISE

_The Lance soldier steps back through the portal drawing everyone's attention. The remaining Lance soldiers' train their guns on him as he first emerges however lower them as they recognize him._

LANCE SOLDIER

All clear.

_Jack directs a smile towards Mordecai and Steele before sweeping an arm in the direction of the portal._

JACK

In we go then.

_Turning to the Atlas soldiers, he indicates towards Mordecai. Their leader nods in response to the unspoken order and positions himself behind Mordecai._

_As Jack begins to move towards the portal, the Atlas soldier gives Mordecai a shove forwards. Almost tripping over as he stumbles forwards, Mordecai throws the soldier a dirty look, but walks willingly towards the portal. Steele moves forwards positioning herself besides Mordecai. They are accompanied by ten Lance soldiers._

_Stepping besides the recently re-emerged Lance soldier in front of the portal, Jack stops feet away from the shimmering surface of the portal. He takes a quick breath, blowing it out loudly and steps forwards. Moments after he's vanished, he's followed by Mordecai, who is encouraged through with a another quick push from the Atlas soldier._

214. INT. THE VAULT, MAIN HALL SECOND TIER - ?

_The room they emerge in is massive. It's only about twenty meters wide, but extends outwards far enough that the other end is lost to darkness. Around the end of the hall that Mordecai emerges from, the room is split into two U-shaped tiers, the top only a few meters wide with the bottom tier jutting out even further. Below that the ground is littered with rocks and other pieces of rubble. Each tier is raised up by at least five meters._

_The walls of the vault seem to glow a dull blueish/purple although at the moment the main source of light is coming from the portal, which is throwing out enough light to illuminate the first forty to fifty meters. Various symbols are carved into the walls and the columns holding up the tiered platforms. These let off a silver glow, although it looks like they are just highly reflective rather than creating their own light._

_The portal is placed to the left hand side of the highest tier. To the left of the portal, the tier's extension has crumbled creating a ramp leading down to the lower tier. Various openings pocket the side of the room leading into small side rooms. The majority of these are blocked off by rubble however a few remain open including one down on the lower tier and another on the ground floor._

_Mordecai takes a step forwards as he emerges in the vault and looks out over the edge of the tier. The Atlas soldier appears shortly after him followed by Steele. The remaining Lance soldiers' slowly filter through throughout the following few lines._

MORDECAI

Wow.

STEELE

At last.

MORDECAI

It's very…

JACK

…empty

_Jack's disappointed remark draws the attention of both Mordecai and Steele._

JACK

Where's all the damn treasure?

_Mordecai takes another look around the room, this time keeping an eye out for anything that could be of value. Apart from the crumbling stone, the room is completely empty. His eyes stop on the opening on the ground level._

MORDECAI

Did you think they'd leave it at the front door?

_He indicates towards the opening as Jack gives him a questioning look. Steele turns towards the Lance soldiers behind her._

STEELE

Six of you; follow me. The rest; watch this one.

_As she moves towards Jack, four of the Lance soldiers join the Atlas soldier around Mordecai._

215. EXT. ERIDIAN PROMONTORY, VAULT ENTRANCE – SUNRISE

_A Lance soldier parks the Outrunner near the dais and hops out._

216. EXT. ERIDIAN PROMONTORY, THIN PASSAGE – SUNRISE

_Roland leans back from the branches._

ROLAND

All right. If we're going to do this, now's as good a time as any.

LILITH

I don't like this idea.

ROLAND

What are you talking about? Get it done quickly and they won't even realize we're… … you want to go inside.

_It's a moment of realization rather than a question. Lilith nods a confirmation._

ROLAND

That'll have to happen at the next vault.

LILITH

You told me you'd get me inside the vault.

ROLAND

That was back when I thought we'd have to go in to save Tannis. But Jack took care of…

_The sound of crunching snow pulls Roland away from Lilith. From behind Claptrap, the thin path is suddenly filled with dozens of bandits lead by Krom, Flynt and Nine-toes. On either side of Nine-Toes a large, collared skag growls at the unexpected appearance of the vault hunters. Claptrap spins around as it hears them approaching. Its lens widens._

CLAPTRAP

It's them!

_As the Claptrap yells out, the group of bandits freeze. It only takes a moment for Flynt to notice Roland kneeling down next to Lilith._

FLYNT

You!

_Brick backs himself up to Roland and Lilith's position._

ROLAND

I vote we go now.

_Spinning on his heels, Roland disappears into the bushes._

217. EXT. ERIDIAN PROMONTORY, VAULT ENTRANCE – SUNRISE

_Roland bursts out of the bushes and comes to a dead stop as all the remaining Crimson Lance soldiers on the plateau spin towards him and raise their guns. Brick rushes out of the bushes only moments later and stops with a signal from Roland._

_One of the soldier's steps forwards holding a large rifle._

LANCE SOLDIER

Impossible!

_Roland pauses for a moment before putting on a deliberately silly, high-pitched voice and waving his arms around._

ROLAND

I am the ghost of the man you killed. Back to haunt you for the rest of your days.

_For all his stupid antics, all he gets in response is an unamused glare through the soldier's helmet._

ROLAND

Now drop the gun before I exact my vengeance.

_The soldier takes another confidant step forwards, the shock of seeing Roland having now worn off. Roland reaches down and seems to be fiddling with one of the pouches attached to the utility belt, wrapped around his waist._

LANCE SOLDIER

Didn't think a ghost would be afraid of a gun.

ROLAND

Oh, you really don't want to fire that weapon. If I'm killed... again, my friends will destroy every last one of you.

_The soldier scoffs_.

LANCE SOLDIER

What friends?

_The soldier aims the gun up at Roland. Just as he's about to shoot, another figure bursts from the bushes and draws his aim. The gun fires, causing Roland to instinctively duck. Behind Roland, Krom falls to the ground, the Lance's bullet having created a small hole in his forehead._

_As Roland slowly straightens up again the Bandits begin to stream out onto the plateau from behind the bushes, causing him to spin towards them. There's no sign of Lilith. Nine-toes looks down at the body of Krom before whipping his head back up and giving Roland an accusing glare._

_Roland meekly points a finger at the Lance soldier behind him._

ROLAND

It was him.

_Nine-toes lets out a loud yell, prompting the other Bandits around him to do so. They all begin to race forwards towards Roland and the Lance soldiers._

_Roland finally manages to dig his hand into the pouch and pulls out two small disks. He tosses them on the ground between the two groups and immediately dashes off to the side. Brick meanwhile races in the direction of the Crimson Lance soldiers who have all started firing at the approaching Bandits._

_The two disks lets out an electrical hum and unpack into two unmanned turrets. Each turret points towards a different group and immediately begin to unleash bullets._

_People from both sides fall to the ground as ammo is unleashed in various directions. Rolands turrets only last about five seconds before the barrel spins empty. Only a moment later, the Bandits manage to cover the ground between them and the Lance soldiers and the two groups clash._

_The Lance armour protects them from a good number of the Bandit's bullets but some of them still fall to the ground as stray shots manage to pierce through various weak points and openings. The Bandits fall at a faster rate, but have much greater numbers and attempt to swarm over the Lance solders._

_A Psycho races out from the bushes holding two sticks of dynamite. He runs up to one of the Crimson Lance soldiers and wraps his arms around the armoured foe holding on tight for a second before the explosives in his hands turn both the soldier and himself into a fiery mess._

_A midget Bandit holds up a massive shotgun, letting out a blast towards a Lance soldier, whether or not the shot is effective is never revealed as the Bandit is thrown back half a dozen feet by the guns kick, ending up on his back with a squeal._

_One of the Lance soldiers manages to crawl into the Outrunners turret and begins firing randomly into the fray._

_The skags both choose different targets and leap up, trying to dig their teeth into the Lance soldiers' throats._

_A grenade is thrown by one of the Lance soldiers. It's caught by a psycho bandit who rather than throwing it back, holds on to the live explosive and simply ploughs towards the Lance soldiers, causing them to scatter as the explosion rings out._

_Roland hits the ground and rolls to the side, putting a long but low rock between him and the fight. Pulling himself to his knees, he gets himself into a seated position and pushes his back against the rock._

_Just to his left, two Bandits steer wide of the main battle to chase after Roland. Seeing him disappear behind the rock, they strafe around, keeping their guns pointed in his direction._

_The rock is positioned near the cliff side of the plateau and as they round it they put themselves near the edge. Seeing Roland, they both raise their guns and squeeze the trigger. A shockwave blasts out from just in front of both of them, knocking them into the air and sending them soaring off of the edge of the cliff._

_The now visible Lilith raises a shield in front of her as she darts to the side and ducks behind the rock, placing herself next to Roland._

ROLAND

I don't suppose you saw where Brick went?

_Only a beat after he's asked, the Lance Outrunner rolls over the ground past the rock, ending up on its roof, the Lance soldier manning the turret crushed underneath._

_Roland stares at the upturned Outrunner as it slides past his location before peeking up over the top of the rock._

_Brick isn't exactly hard to spot, even stood right in the centre of the chaos. Pulling back a fist he smacks a Bandit in the face before swinging the same arm back and elbowing one of the Bandits coming up behind him._

_Swinging around he raises both arms and clasps his hands together, bringing them both down on top of a Lance soldier who seems to just crumple into the ground. One of the bandits races towards Brick with a knife, but the large man grabs the bandits wrist before bringing his forehead down on the bandits crown, hard._

_Spinning back around, he scoops one of the Lance soldier's from the ground as through made of foam and tosses him into a small group of Bandits who are stood nearby trying to pick a target amongst the chaos. A bullet digs into Bricks arm, but rather than incapacitate him, it just fuels the attack and he turns towards the bandit that fired and slams a fist into the poor mans head._

_Roland ducks back down behind the rock. Next to him, Lilith also lowers herself, having seen the same scene._

LILITH

And you tried to lie to him.

ROLAND

Didn't lie... Just didn't tell the truth.

218. EXT. ERIDIAN PROMONTORY, VAULT ENTRANCE – SUNRISE

_Flynt is one of the last ones to emerge from the thin passage beyond the bushes. As he enters the battlefield, he stops and looks beyond the fighting and explosions towards the shimmering portal, leading into the vault._

_Holding a revolver tightly in his good arm, he begins to stride towards the portal, firing a bullet at a Lance soldier who jumps in front of him. The bullet pierces straight through the helmet visor and the soldier falls backwards._

219. EXT. ERIDIAN PROMONTORY, VAULT ENTRANCE – SUNRISE

_Roland holds his rifle to his chest with both hands and takes a quick peak over the low rock. Taking a moment to prepare, he spins around and pushes himself into a kneeling position, bringing the rifle above the rock and firing._

_He aims for the dais, sending a few bullets bouncing seemingly harmlessly off of the rock-like surface of the structure._

_A number of bullets tearing past his ear causes him to duck back behind the rock for a moment before raising himself up again and searching for the culprit._

_He notices a bandit aiming a gun right at him and adjusts his aim, taking the bandit out with a quick burst. This attracts the attention of two more bandits and a Lance soldier, who turns his way and begins shooting. Roland ducks back behind his cover._

220. INT. THE VAULT, MAIN HALL FIRST TEIR - ?

_Jack removes his gaze from the tier above him where the portal sends out a glow and peers down over the edge of the first tier and towards the ground floor of the vault. Steele however is more interested in the darkness that swallows the hall in the distance._

STEELE

How far do you think it stretches?

JACK

Too far.

_Steele only responds with a quick glance before turning her attention back to the massive room in front of her._

221. INT. THE VAULT, MAIN HALL SECOND TEIR - ?

_Mordecai looks up from the small group below him and turns towards the Atlas soldier guarding him. There's an awkward moment._

MORDECAI

So… … … We're in the vault… and you're not tempted to do a little exploring?

ATLAS SOLDIER

Shut it!

222. EXT. ERIDIAN PROMONTORY, VAULT ENTRANCE – SUNRISE

_Roland pops out of cover again and sends a round towards one of the large Bandits near the dais. The Bandit slumps over the round device and Roland uses this an excuse to fire at the Dais itself._

_Next to him, Lilith fires a number of bullets from her pistil. Seeing Roland's bullets hitting the Dais, she ducks back down and grabs his shoulder, pulling him down as well._

ROLAND

What!

LILITH

If you have a moment, could you start shooting at the people trying to kill us rather than a piece of stone?

ROLAND

Or I could close the portal and make an early exit before we're shot to pieces.

_Their conversation is interrupted as a Bandit appears over the top of the rock and lets out a shrill cackle as he points a shotgun direct at Roland's face._

_Lilith aims up with her pistil and sends a tongue of flame upwards towards the Bandit. The upper half of the Bandit is roasted. A painful, high pitched groan comes from the Bandit before he drops down on the other side of the rock._

_Lilith turns back to Roland who threw himself onto his back when the Bandit appeared._

LILITH

Keep the vault open!

ROLAND

For God's… Lilith. You want "clarification" about where your kind came from; I'll give you the full story when we manage to get the hell out of here. But for now, can we please… …

_A loud engine roar cuts him off. Only a moment later gusts of wind start throwing clumps of snow in his direction._

_Looking in the direction of the noise, Roland's eyes widen as the Atlas ship from before rises up above the level of the plateau from the side of the mountain. The pilot is visible through the glass cockpit as the ship emerges._

_As the pilot sees the battle happening on the plateau he gives an unheard order to someone else in the ship. A moment passes before a large gun turret suddenly emerges from the top of the ship and swivels towards Roland and Lilith._

ROLAND

Ok. Fine! You get your wish. It is about to get far too hot out here.

_Lilith adjusts her position into a semi crouch, ready to make a run for it. Meanwhile, Roland reaches into his pouch and pulls out a single round metallic disk._

ROLAND

One left.

_He gives the disk a quick kiss before tossing it over his shoulder. On the Atlas ship, the barrel of the gun starts to spin._

ROLAND

Go!

_He and Lilith both dart in opposite directions as Roland's turret unpacks itself. The Atlas ship begins firing, sending thick bullets bursting through the stone where they were sat only moments earlier. After a few paces, Lilith disappears, causing the snow around her feet to blast off in various directions._

_Roland holds his rifle in one hand and races in the direction of the vault. His turret takes out two bandits stood nearby before running dry and shutting itself down._

_The Atlas ship adjusts its line of fire into the main crowd. Both Bandits and Lance soldier fall from the Atlas ship. From somewhere on the battlefield Nine-toes voice rings out._

NINE-TOES

Retreat! Into ze vault!

_Roland fires a burst at a Bandit unlucky enough to get in his way. As he approaches the portal, he's suddenly hit from the side by a Lance soldier, sending him stumbling off course._

_He tries to regain his balance, reaching out his arms towards the nearest handhold he can find. His handhold comes in the form of Flynt, who is pushed back a step as Roland falls onto him. As he grabs Flynt's shoulder to keep himself upright, Roland's gun falls to his feet._

_Roland manages to keep upright and takes a moment to examine Flynt's scarred face up close._

ROLAND

You look terrible.

_Flynt shoves Roland off and raises his revolver. Thinking quick, Roland knocks his arm to one side and kicks the bandit leader in the knee, sending Flynt crashing painfully to the ground._

_Spinning on his heels, Roland find himself face to face with the Lance soldier that knocked him._

_Out of no-where Brick appears and tackles the Lance soldier to the ground. He starts lying into the Lance soldier, sending a flurry of fists into the soldiers face._

ROLAND

BRICK!

_The large man turns towards Roland. Roland indicates towards the portal._

ROLAND

We're going in!

_Two bandits help Flynt up. Furious, he screams at the top of his lungs._

FLYNT

Get him! Kill him!

_The Bandits raise their guns at Roland, who spins towards the portal without waiting for a response from Brick and makes a dash for its shimmering surface. They both fire, but Roland reaches the portal moments later and disappears from the plateau._

223. INT. THE VAULT, MAIN HALL SECOND TEIR - ?

_Mordecai paces backwards and forwards near the portal while the Atlas soldier watches him._

_The noise of someone appearing from the portal causes him to look up and freeze. Stood, only a few feet in front of him is the man he saw die on the Atlas ship earlier that day._

_Roland locks onto Mordecai almost immediately and stops as the Atlas soldier and remaining lance soldier's raise their guns in his direction._

_Mordecai appears absolutely gobsmacked at seeing Roland stood in front of him._

MORDECAI

No. How? You can't…

_The portal hums and one of the Bandits comes through firing widely as he does. A number of bullets bounce of a Lance soldier's armour causing all of them to fire back._

_Drawing back a fist, Roland sends it into the side of Mordecai's face with enough force to send the thin man to the ground._

_The portal flares again as numerous bandits and Lance soldier come running through._

ROLAND

We'll finish this conversation later.

_Looking around he spots the collapsed platform leading down to the lower tier. He dashes off in that direction as more people pile through the portal into the vault._

224. INT. THE VAULT, MAIN HALL GROUND FLOOR - ?

_The commotion from the top-level tier draws Jack's attention and he spins back to look up in the direction of the gunfire._

_He takes a moment to watch as a mixture of fighting Bandits and Lance soldiers, pour through the portal mixed with the remaining Atlas soldiers._

_Dragging his eyes away from the battle, he looks over at Steele, who catches his gaze and returns it. Giving a small nod she silently and calmly vanishes from sight._

_Running his eyes over the various openings at the ground level, Jack picks out the nearest and begins marching towards it. Half of his guard follow, while the other half remain where they are and ready their weapons._

225. INT. THE VAULT, MAIN HALL SECOND TEIR - ?

_Mordecai is still on the ground as bullets fly through the air above him. He tries to roll onto his back and unintentionally trips up one of the new Lance soldiers who falls backwards onto Mordecai, but ends up hanging over the edge to the lower tier. In an attempt to get the soldier off of him, Mordecai gives him a shove and the soldier plummets over the edge, landing on his stomach on the tier below._

226. INT. THE VAULT, MAIN HALL FIRST TEIR - ?

_Roland jumps back as the Lance soldier hits the ground right in front of him. He looks up as the stream of bandits coming through the portal starts to slow down._

_While Roland is looking towards the portal Flynt enters the vault followed by Nine-toes. Roland chooses this as his moment to move underneath the upper tier and move towards a small opening along the back wall._

227. INT. THE VAULT, MAIN HALL SECOND TIER - ?

_Mordecai begins to pick himself up but is caught by surprise when a gloved hand grabs his shoulder painfully and drags him backwards across the ground._

_The two skags appear from the portal. One jumps up onto a Lance soldier, opening its wide mouth and engulfing the soldier's head. Pushing against the soldiers chest, the beast's weight brings the soldier to the ground and twists his head around, snapping his neck._

_Mordecai doesn't make it far before the hand slips and he swings his head around to find that it was the Atlas soldier that grabbed him._

_Firing off a burst from his rifle, the soldier reaches down again and this time grabs Mordecai's upper arm and pulls. Mordecai pushes out with his legs in an attempt to stand up but he only manages to scramble along the ground in a half seated position._

_In front of him the fight between the bandits and Crimson Lance continues inside the vault. The bodies start to pile up near the entrance and the battle begins to spread out. A number of bandits retreat down the collapsed platform onto the lower tier chased by the Lance soldiers._

_More than a couple are simply thrown over the edge. Despite the lengthy drop, the fall doesn't kill anyone, although one bandit falls badly on his leg, causing the bone to splinter and shoot out of the top of his thigh._

228. INT. THE VAULT, MAIN HALL FIRST TIER - ?

_The world is covered in a slightly blurry filter and the walls and pillars almost seem to pulse and don't quite feel solid as Lilith moves amongst the chaos._

_Jumping off of the ramp leading down to the first tier she ducks and weaves her way through the fighting bandits, narrowly avoiding being shot numerous times until she reaches the far end where the number of enemies are beginning to thin out._

_Looking down towards the ground floor she sees Steele stood near an opening on her own. Steele watches the battle above her for a moment however suddenly swings her head around and locks eyes with Lilith, causing the Siren to jump back in surprise._

_Steele grins and points a hand at Lilith, lifting her into the air. Losing her concentration the world solidifies as she becomes visible, letting out a shockwave that pushes a nearby Lance soldier forwards into a massive Bruiser bandit._

_Steele flicks her hand and Lilith flies through the air, smashing painfully against one of the walls of the vault and dropping to the ground._

229. INT. THE VAULT, EMPTY ANTECHAMBER - ?

_As the sound of gunfire filters through the opening he entered through, Roland hits the far wall of the empty room. Sliding his hands along the wall he searches for a hidden door or switch. Finding nothing turns back towards the door and freezes._

_Stood in the opening is Nine-toes with both of his skags, one stood either side of him._

NINE-TOES

We meet again, Monsieur Roland.

_Roland raises an amused eyebrow._

ROLAND

OK, corny. Haven't I already kicked your arse once. I have your gun.

_He reaches down towards his waist before realising he's no longer carrying the gun._

ROLAND

…had…

NINE-TOES

I have no interest in fighting you again. As long are you are dead, it does not matter how it happened.

_He flicks his wrist and the leashes holding the skags back disappear into a device attached to his forearms._

NINE-TOES

Le tuer!

_The two skags begin to creep towards Roland. Roland backs up against the wall, holding out both his arms defensively._

ROLAND

OK. Whoah. Good doggy. Good do…

_The skags both leap for Roland._

ROLAND

DOWN DOGGY!

230. INT. THE VAULT, MAIN HALL SECOND TIER - ?

_The battle has spread out so that bandits and Crimson Lance are fighting on both tiers of the vault. Only a handful have made their way down to the ground._

_The Atlas soldier finally stops dragging Mordecai and allows him to find his feet. As Mordecai pulls himself up the Atlas soldier waves three other soldiers over wearing the same uniform._

_The three new Atlas soldiers' back up to their position taking down a midget bandit in the process, who starts to chase after them._

MORDECAI

Not that I don't appreciate the gesture, but what's with the private guard?

ATLAS SOLDIER

Believe it or not, we don't gain rank by not following orders. Steele wants you kept alive.

_Mordecai rubs his shoulder where he was initially grabbed as the four Atlas soldiers put themselves between him and the oncoming bandits. They open fire._

231. INT. THE VAULT, EMPTY ANTECHAMBER - ?

_Roland sidesteps and one skag crashes face first into the wall of the Antechamber. As he quickly dodges to the side, Roland loses his balance and ends up on his back. The second skag hits the wall, but not nearly as hard and bounces back towards Roland, landing on his stomach._

_Its head splits down the middle as it opens its mouth and prepares to clamp onto Roland's face._

ROLAND

No you don't.

_Roland twists, causing the skag to lose its balance and slip off of his chest onto the floor. Kicking its legs in the air, the skag struggles to get back onto its feet. Roland doesn't get much time to breathe though as the other skag bounds around Roland, putting itself to his right._

_Opening its jaws it dives down towards Roland's face. Roland raises his right arm at the last second and goes to shove it across the skags mouth in an attempt to block it._

_Its semi successful as the skag stops short of his head, but the mouth is longer than Roland's forearm and the jaws close, locking his arm in from the elbow and drawing blood._

_Roland cries out in pain._

ROLAND

JESUS!

_He swings his left arm over and smacks the skag on the side of the head, trying to get it to loosen its grip on his arm._

_To his left, the second skag manages to find its feet and decides against jumping on Roland's chest again. This time circling round, positioning itself above his head._

_Blood drips down his arm as he pulls with his right arm, attempting to pull it out of the skags jaws. He rolls left as the second skag dives down, just missing him. He can only roll so far though as his arm is still trapped._

_Swinging up with his left arm, he belts the skag in the face. Its not his hardest hit but its enough to cause the skag to back up and approach him warily as the second continues to play with the arm in its clasp._

_Suddenly the skag holding Roland lets out a whimper and opens its jaws. As it does it's revealed that Roland has grabbed a hold of its tongue near the back of the animals throat and is attempting to dig his fingernails in as hard as he can._

_Tearing his bloody arm out of the skags mouth, Roland rolls onto his stomach and pushes down with his arms, using the wall to help him stand up._

_Almost as soon as he upright the skag who received the knock to the face leaps up at him, hitting him in the back and sending him stumbling forwards._

_Reaching out towards the wall Roland manages to keep his balance and swings himself around as the second skag leaps for his throat. Throwing an instinctive fist forwards, Roland manages to catch the skag mid flight and sends it sailing back to the ground._

232. INT. THE VAULT, MAIN HALL GROUND FLOOR - ?

_Lilith hits the floor of the vault and lays there, the wind knocked out of her lungs. The air above her shimmers and Steele appears, grinning down at her._

STEELE

You have chosen an interesting set of companions.

_Lilith rolls onto her back and takes in a deep breath of air. It's a struggle to talk but she manages to spit the next line out._

LILITH

Says the Siren working for Atlas.

STEELE

The human Jack is easy to manipulate, so single minded. I sometimes loose track of who is working for who.

_By this time, Lilith has managed to stand up._

LILITH

So, you used him to get to the vault. And then what? You steal all the treasure?

STEELE

I do not have a care for trinkets or weapons. I am after something far more valuable.

_Lilith tilts her head slightly, clearly at a loss as to what Steele is referring to. Steele immediately picks up on this and gives a small smile._

STEELE

I am sorry to hear that you have lost your powers. A pity, you want to kill me. I could have given them back.

_Lilith raises a hand and clutches the side of her head._

LILITH

Get out!

STEELE

Aww. You never learned to block it. Do you know this trick?

_A high pitched squeal echoes though Lilith's head, causing her to grip it with both hands. Her eyes thin as the noise starts to cause her head to throb. After holding it in for the first few moments, she lets out a scream, the tendons in her neck tensing up to near breaking point._

_In desperation she throws out a hand towards Steele, sending a bolt of energy flying towards the Siren. Completely ready for the bolt, Steele catches it in her right hands and makes a fist, causing the bolt to disappear._

_In retaliation, Steele flicks her wrist in Lilith's direction, sending her flying off the ground and into the wall of the vault._

233. INT. THE VAULT, EMPTY ANTECHAMBER - ?

_Roland holds out both arms as one of the Skags jumps up towards his throat and manages to catch it just in front of his chest. The creatures jaws snap shut inches from his face and the force of the skag jumping into him, causes Roland to stumble back and hit the rear wall of the antechamber hard._

_So hard in fact that the wall gives in behind him and collapses, creating an opening to a much smaller, dimly lit room._

_This room is also empty with glowing blue symbols lining the walls and a rectangle opening at the far end leading to a ramp that heads down._

234. INT. THE VAULT, SMALL ROOM - ?

_Roland falls back with the wall and ends up on his back amongst the rubble. The skag, still on his chest, snaps at him again. Roland reaches down with his free hand and grabs a loose piece of stone from the broken wall._

_Swinging the stone towards the skag, Roland smacks it at the top of the head with the rock, sending it flying off his chest. The skag hits the floor next to him, stunned from the hit and remains motionless for a number of seconds._

_During this time, Roland scrambles to his feet as the other skag growls at him from through the newly created opening. Scooping up a rock from the ground, Roland throws it at the skag, missing the creature by inches as it jumps to one side, but causing it to flinch._

_Roland tosses another rock, but the skag jumps away from that one as well._

_Roland bends down and grabs another rock. The skag dashes forwards and Roland tosses the third rock, hitting the animal in the face. This causes the skag to stop and shake its head, recovering from the blow._

_Having been distracted by this skag, Roland doesn't realise the other skag has recovered and snuck around to his side until it leaps. Seeing it as the last possible moment, Roland raises his bloodied arm defensively and spins his body, managing to knock the creature off to one side._

_The other skag uses this distraction as its chance to charge forwards. Deciding against the throat the creature instead attempts to bring Roland down by latching its jaws around his hips._

_The force causes Roland to stumble forwards but he manages to keep his footing. He send a fist down towards the skag, but despite the force of his blow, it manages to hang on and pushes against the ground, attempting to pull Roland down._

_Flinging his hip out he tries to shake the skag off to no avail. As the creature bites down harder, he puts both hands between the skags teeth and attempts to pry the mouth open._

_He's stopped by a low growl. Looking up he sees the second skag stood ready to pounce right in front of his._

_The skag leaps._

235. INT. THE VAULT, MAIN HALL GROUND FLOOR - ?

_Lilith slams against another wall and drops to the ground. Making a throwing motion towards Steele, she sends another bolt of energy her way. Again, Steele is more than ready for this and holds out her palm, catching the bolt so that it float inches from her hand. Rather than destroy this one, she flings it back towards Lilith._

_Seeing the bolt coming back, Lilith quickly spreads her arms and manages to form a shield at the last moment, throwing it between her and the projectile. The bolt bounces off of the shield and is sent flying towards the second tier._

236. INT. THE VAULT, MAIN HALL SECOND TIER - ?

_Lilith's reflected bolt hits a Lance soldier in the back. The soldier is thrown forwards onto the ground._

237. INT. THE VAULT, MAIN HALL GROUND FLOOR - ?

_It's Steele's turn to form her own bolt of energy. This one is almost twice as large as Lilith's and glows a bright green. Seeing the bolt form in Steele's hands, Lilith disappears, blasting any loose dust and stones away from her._

_Steele watches the spot where Lilith was stood a moment ago before grinning and silently vanishing. The blurry filter is once again applied as Steele enters the alternate Vault. Lilith has barely moved._

STEELE

You cannot use your phase-walk as a hiding place.

_Rather than respond, Lilith looks away from Steele, towards the first tier, where bandits and soldiers continue to fire at one another._

_Reading Lilith's thought's, Steele follows her gaze towards the battle and immediately creates a spherical shield around herself._

_No sooner has she done so, Lilith points towards the battle and the ends of the guns for a good number of the people shooting on the first tier sprout massive tongues of flames which bend down towards the ground and engulfs Steele's shield._

238. INT. THE VAULT, MAIN HALL FIRST TIER - ?

_Flynt is stood near the edge of the room on the opposite side to Lilith when he hears a massive roar. Looking in the direction of the sound, he sees the tongue of flame extending from a number of guns towards the ground._

_The flames lick over a ball of what appears to him to be thin air._

239. INT. THE VAULT, MAIN HALL GROUND FLOOR - ?

_The fire continues to pelt Steele's shield for a moment longer before it finally stops. As it does Steele gets rid of the shield and for the first time gets a surprise: Lilith is stood only a few feet away from her._

LILITH

Only while you're here.

_Lilith becomes visible. This time it's Steele's turn to smash into a wall as the action sends out a shockwave that picks Steele up off her feet and sends her flying through the air._

_As she drops to the ground, Steele yanks Lilith off the ground with her powers. Lilith phase-walks, once again disappearing._

_In order to see her, Steele once again disappears, entering the alternate vault. As she does, she's met by the sight of a ball of energy flying towards her. Unable to catch it this time, she twists her body and allows the ball to sail past her and hit the wall._

_As she turns back she's surprised to find Lilith racing towards her. Rather than becoming visible and blasting her back again, Lilith takes a different tact and punches Steele in the face._

240. INT. THE VAULT, MAIN HALL SECOND TIER - ?

_The soldiers surrounding Mordecai fire in unison and bring down another large Bruiser bandit. As the large bandit falls to the ground a smaller one rushes towards the group holding a lit bomb._

_The soldiers fire at the bandit as Mordecai takes a step back attempting to distance himself from any potential explosion._

_The soldier fail to bring down the bandit itself, but a fluke bullet manages to hit the explosive, setting it off and causing the bandit to disappear in a mixture of flame and blood._

_The blast pushes both the soldiers and Mordecai back and he finds himself stood right on the edge of the tier. Loosing his balance for a moment, Mordecai throws his arms out and manages to steady himself, just managing to avoid falling back onto the lower level._

_As he regains his balance he spins around and looks down towards the area where he could have potentially ended up and notices both Siren's, now visible on the ground floor._

_Lilith is sat on top of Steele and throws another punch into her face._

_As Mordecai watches, Steele pushes back with one of her hands and Lilith goes flying across the room. Part way through her flight, Lilith disappears._

_A moment later Steele disappears as well. Something invisible impacts against the opposite wall and Lilith reappears, almost immediately throwing a bolt of energy towards the centre of the room._

_Steele reappears in the middle of the hall just in time to catch the bolt, hold it for a moment and toss it back. As the bolt travels towards her Lilith vanishes._

_Steele waits a beat before vanishing but both Sirens soon reappear. Lilith stood not too far away from where Steele vanished and Steele a moment later as she sails towards and impacts the wall of the vault._

241. EXT. ERIDIAN PROMONTORY, UPPER MOUNTAIN PASS – SUNRISE

_Claptrap moves slowly down the mountain. Constantly looking back to see if anyone is following, it speaks to itself as it continues it's decent._

CLAPTRAP

Dear Mr Roland. I am not a coward. I just… … ran away…

Mr Roland. I hope that you do not die, but if you do, I hope that this message lets you know that I'm sorry… when you hear it… … if you're dead.

Roland. I didn't bugger off. I just needed… a… bathroom break?

_While it continues to speak to itself it moves past a thin chasm in the mountain wall, seemingly without noticing its presence. Moments after it passes it, it stops and slowly backs up to the chasm._

_Claptrap twists and looks into the dark area._

CLAPTRAP

Huh? That's new.

_Claptrap looks back up the mountain and quickly glances down the path in the direction he was headed. After a moment's contemplation, it turns its body towards the chasm and moves inside._

242. INT. THE VAULT, SMALL ROOM - ?

_Roland twists his body and the leaping skag sails past him and lands on the ground nearby. Continuing his twist, Roland moves towards the wall and slams the skag hanging onto his hip into it. The skags grip loosens with the impact and its jaws slip off._

_As the skag looses its grip on Roland it manages to catch the small pouch attached to his belt in its teeth. The pouch tears off and the skag throws it across the ground as it hits the floor. Bouncing across the floor, the contents of the pouch fly out. The final defensive turret skids across the ground in disk form and comes to a stop near the far wall._

_Hearing the soft clink of the metal, Roland quickly discovers the small silver disk hiding amongst the rubble from the collapsed wall and slowly starts to circle the room, moving towards it._

_The two skags keep in front of him, circling the room as well._

ROLAND

Good doggy. Very good doggy.

_He makes it halfway around the room before the two skags decide they've had enough and stop. Roland comes to a halt and glances over at the round disk. The two skags begin to growl loudly at him._

ROLAND

Now play dead.

_The first skag tears towards him and leaps. Roland dashes to the side avoiding the attack and dives down towards the disk as the second skag jumps towards him._

_The second skag manages to hit Roland mid jump and knock him off course. Roland hits the ground too far away from the disk. The first skag spins back towards him and charges._

_Roland tries to scramble towards the disk. As he nears it, the first skag grabs his leg in its jaws and he goes to the ground on his stomach. His fingers knock the disk and sends it sliding another few feet along the ground away from him._

_Rolling onto his back, Roland kicks at the skag attached to his leg as the other one grabs his arm. His leg freed, Roland yanks his arm out of the second skags mouth before it can get a god grip with its jaws._

_He pushes against the ground and half scrambles half dives towards the disk as the first skag darts forwards and grabs his leg again._

_This time Roland manages to wrap his fingers around the device and rolls onto his back. The second skag leaps over the first, lands on his stomach and immediately leap for Roland's face._

_Roland raises the hand holding the disk and pushes the button as the skag leaps. He tries to put his arm between his head and the skag, but the arm slips right through the skags jaws and the skag finally wraps its jaws around Roland head, covering his face._

_The skag starts to pull and twist however before it can snap Roland neck, it stops._

_The animal freezes and after a moment a mechanical sound can be heard from inside its body. Releasing Roland the skag stumbles back, whimpering. Roland coughs loudly as his face emerges from within the skags mouth. He holds up the hand that held the disk to reveal that it's now empty._

_The skag takes another step back as the turret unpacks within its body. There's a beat of silence and the device finally reaches a point where its too big for the creature._

_The skag is torn apart as the gun turret bursts through its back and then its sides as it finishes unpacking._

_The gun spins, searching for a target. It only takes a moment to discover the second skag. A loud whine is heard as the barrel spins and a moment later a stream of bullets is send into the creature._

_It only lasts three seconds, but as the gun dies down, both skags are well and truly dead._

_Picking himself up off the floor, Roland glances back through the antechamber and towards the opening into the Main Hall. Nine-toes is no longer stood in the opening, having disappeared quite some time ago._

_Despite this Roland chooses to head for the rectangular opening on the other side of his room and head down the ramp. As he passes the corpse of the skag he gets one final word in._

ROLAND

Stay.

243. INT. THE VAULT, MAIN HALL GROUND FLOOR - ?

_Steele catches a bolt thrown by Lilith and snuffs it out. She's not fast enough to catch the second thrown almost immediately after, but manages to raise her shield, causing it to bounce of in a different direction. Lilith throws two more bolts at her while running towards Steele._

_Steele keeps her shield up but it doesn't stop her from being flung back as Lilith becomes invisible. Steele hits the ground and rolls out of the landing, standing up in the process and facing Lilith who gets ready to run towards her again._

STEELE

That is enough!

_The high pitched whine deafens Lilith again, causing her to stop and place her hands against her head, screaming loudly. With Lilith incapacitated, Steele steps forwards and grabs Lilith with her powers, raising her about four meters off the ground. This time however she doesn't throw Lilith but allows her to hover for a moment as the noise coursing through her head dies down._

_Lilith takes a few deep breaths, but Steele isn't finishes with her. Bending the ends of her fingers inwards, Steele's arm begins to shake as Lilith body suddenly tenses right up._

_Her fingers flay as her arms and legs all stiffen and Lilith starts to let out another scream of pain. Steele slowly twists her hand clockwise and Lilith's upper body starts to bend backwards._

_The pain intensifies for Lilith as Steele manipulates her spine. Trying to fight against her in any way possible, Lilith makes a fist and slowly bends her arms at the elbow, trying to bring them in to her chest. She only gets about half way before they are flung back out and she lets out another scream of pain._

_Her back bends to near breaking point. Her shoulders shake as she attempts to fight against Steele's powers. As she lets out another scream, her legs tense, at first straightening out and then bending at the knees, throwing her feet back._

_Her boots bounce against the back of her head and another burst of pain shoots through her. Suddenly, Steel lets go and her body straightens. Her breathing is heavy as she floats in the air and she can't seem to summon the energy to move any of her limbs._

244. INT. THE VAULT, MAIN HALL SECOND TIER - ?

_Mordecai ignores the sound of gunfire behind him and stands on the edge of the tier, watching as Lilith floats above the ground. Its impossible to read his face with his mask still covering most of it._

245. INT. THE VAULT, MAIN HALL GROUND FLOOR - ?

_Steele takes a step towards Lilith._

STEELE

You do not realise this, but we are both here for the same thing. Would it not be better to get it together?

LILITH

Go to hell!

STEELE

A pity.

_Steele makes a throwing motion towards the far wall and Lilith flies through the air, smashing painfully against the rock. Rather than allowing her to fall to the floor, Steele holds her against it and seems to apply more force, attempting to squash her against the rock._

_Lilith struggles against the force but its no good. She's hit by two unseen impacts causing her to shudder violently._

246. INT. THE VAULT, MAIN HALL SECOND TIER - ?

_Mordecai watches as Steele slowly moves towards Lilith, keeping her arm stretched out. He's drawn away from the battle for a moment by a loud shotgun blast._

_Turning around he sees a bandit drop to the ground, full of tiny holes. The top tier is now clear of bandits, although the lower tier is still flooded with them and Lance soldiers._

_The Atlas soldier who had been tasked with looking after Mordecai turns back to his other comrades._

ATLAS SOLDIER

We're getting out of here. Lets go!

_Mordecai doesn't move, instead turning back to watch Lilith and Steele._

247. INT. THE VAULT, MAIN HALL GROUND FLOOR - ?

_Steele is almost face to face with Lilith._

STEELE

You spent so much of your childhood running away from Sirens. It is a pity you will never get the chance to learn the true power we are capable of.

_Anger flashes in Lilith's eyes as she pulls back her lips in a snarl towards Steele. Suddenly her eyes soften as she spots Mordecai behind Steele, watching her._

_Steele senses the distraction and turns her head towards Mordecai. Her eyes thin as she reaches inside Mordecai's head._

248. INT. THE VAULT, MAIN HALL SECOND TIER - ?

_Mordecai flinches slightly as Steele looks in his direction, but makes no other movements. Behind him, the Atlas soldier calls back to him._

ATLAS SOLDIER

Hey! Skinny! Lets go!

249. INT. THE VAULT, MAIN HALL GROUND FLOOR - ?

_Steele slowly turns back to Lilith with a smile on her face._

STEELE

Your boyfriend will not help you.

_Lilith glances back at Steele, but quickly turns her attention back to Mordecai, her eyes changing from anger to desperation as another unseen impact shakes her body._

250. INT. THE VAULT, MAIN HALL SECOND TIER - ?

_Mordecai stares back at Lilith, unable to tear his eyes away._

_The Atlas soldier calls to him again._

ATLAS SOLDIER

I said, lets go!

_Mordecai remains motionless for a moment longer, keeping his gaze fixed on Lilith. He opens his mouth slowly, holding it there for a moment, words on the tip of his tongue._

_Two beats pass_

_Finally manages to form a sentence._

MORDECAI

I'm coming.

_This is clearly directed towards the Atlas soldier. Spinning around, Mordecai turns away from Lilith and walks towards his Atlas guard who have already started back towards the portal._

251. INT. THE VAULT, MAIN HALL GROUND FLOOR - ?

_Lilith's face drops as she watches Mordecai slowly turn and disappear from sight. For a moment even Steele looks a touch sympathetic, but this quickly changes back into a victorious smile._

252. INT. THE VAULT, MAIN HALL SECOND TIER - ?

_Mordecai doesn't break pace as he moves with the Atlas soldiers towards the active portal. If anything it quickens slightly as the path to his freedom, and more immediately, out of the bloodbath happening inside the vault edges closer and closer._

_Beneath him bandits and crimson guards continue to fight, some with guns although a good amount have abandoned their weapons and have reached the point of just slugging it out._

_Time seems to slow to an absolute crawl as Mordecai takes another step towards the exit. He looks the Atlas soldier in front of him up and down, taking particular note of the sword hanging off of his waist._

_The sound of gunfire seems a very distant noise now as the portal draws near. Suddenly Mordecai stops dead. The Atlas soldier behind him stops himself just shy of running into Mordecai._

ATLAS SOLDIER

Hey. What's the hold up?

_The line causes the soldier in front of Mordecai to stop and turn back._

_Giving Mordecai a questioning look, the soldier walks back towards him. Mordecai is still lost in his own world. After a moment his shoulders drop and he mutters to himself, clearly annoyed at his decision._

MORDECAI

I'm going to regret this.

_Time speeds back up to normal as Mordecai reaches forwards and grabs the Atlas soldier's sword, pulling out from his waist and pushing it back through the soldiers stomach. The soldier clutches at the steel piercing through his gut as Mordecai wrenches it out._

_The Atlas soldier behind him raises his assault rifle, but Mordecai swings the sword around and smacks the soldier's arm. The sword is not sharp enough to cut into the skin, but the force is enough to send the weapon flying out of the soldier grasp._

_While the sword may not be sharp enough to cut, it's pointy enough to stab. As the soldier recovers from having his wrist knocked to the side, Mordecai impales him on the sword, though the chest._

_The soldier gurgles as the sword pierces his lungs and falls to the side. As the soldier falls the sword is wrenched out of Mordecai's hands._

253. INT. THE VAULT, MAIN HALL FIRST TIER - ?

_The soldier falls onto a bandit who is thrown into a Lance soldier. The soldier stumbles to the side a few steps before grabbing the bandits shirt and tossing him over the edge of the tier._

254. INT. THE VAULT, MAIN HALL GROUND FLOOR - ?

_The bandit hits the ground just behind Steele, the noise causing her to turn away from Lilith as the bandit pulls himself to his feet and stumbles away from the Siren._

_Steele watches the bandit for a moment before turning back to Lilith. The moment she realizes her mistake its too late to react. With her attention turned from Lilith, the red haired Siren is no longer held against the wall and disappears as Steele turns back to her, sending Steele flying away._

255. INT. THE VAULT, MAIN HALL SECOND TIER - ?

_The third Atlas soldier moves towards Mordecai and raises his assault rifle. Mordecai turns and bolts away, but only makes it a single step before tripping over the body of the dead Atlas soldier behind him, sending him rolling across the ground as the attacking soldier fires a long burst._

_The bullets sail over Mordecai's head as he recovers. Seeing the dead soldiers assault rifle laying on the ground nearby, he grabs it and, despite the weapons size, holds it up with a single arm and points it at the attacking soldier._

_Without the stability of holding it with two hands, the weapons constant kick as he fires a burst at the soldier causes the gun to jump all over the place. For a moment it seems as though its thrown bullets everywhere except for at the soldier however after a beat the soldier falls backwards._

_Mordecai looks at the gun in his hand and allows it to fall to his side._

MORDECAI

How does Roland do that?

_Looking up he's forced to raise the gun again as he sees the forth Atlas soldier nearby raising his rifle to aim at Mordecai._

256. INT. THE VAULT, LOWER STORAGE ROOM - ?

_Roland enters a medium sized room through a small entrance. It's mostly empty save for a small, round stand in the middle of the room. On top of the stand is a round, golden object. Various grooves line the surface of the object although they don't seem to form anything that resembles the symbols carved into the walls. There's another opening on the far side of the room to where Roland entered._

_Stealing a quick glance around the room, Roland is attracted to the stand in the middle of the room with the small sphere._

ROLAND

Ah. Here we go.

_Slowly, he makes his way over it and takes a moment to walk around the stand, examining the object from all sides._

ROLAND

You're looking very lonely, sat here in this empty vault. What exactly are you?

_Slowly, he reaches out his his right hand. Remnants of his glove hang off of the hand, but after the fight with the skags, its torn up enough to expose a two fingers and sections of the palm. He hovers his hand over the device for a moment before reaching down and picking it up._

_A blindng flash emenates from the object causing Roland to slam his eyes closed. Stumbling back he tries to let go of the object, but his hand remains clasped around it. Unable to let go, he shakes his arm in a vein attempt to loosen it._

_The light dies down and the vault starts to shimmer around Roland. As Roland rubs his eyes with his free and and looks around confused, the vault appears to melt around him and reshapes into various scenes from Roland's life. At first its just flashes, barely discernable from one another however various scenes stay long enough to play out a few moments._

257. INT. ATLAS SHIP, SHOOTING RANGE – DAY

_The Roland from the vault is stood in the middle of the scene but a younger version is also stood in front of the shooting range in full Atlas uniform, holding a large rifle. On either side of him various Atlas soldiers are lined up at the range taking shots at the targets._

_The room is made up of two sections; a long, thin section where all the soldiers are stood. On one side is a waist high bench which is divided into the various ranges where soldiers can shoot at the moving, human shaped holograms lining the back wall. A small door at the far end in the only exit._

_From near this exit a soldier calls out._

SOLDIER

Officer!

_The gunfire stops almost immediately and the Atlas soldiers spin to face the opening. A moment later, Jack steps through. He stands in the opening for a moment before calling out._

JACK

Roland?

_The scene melts and shows numerous flashes before slowing down on a new scene._

258. INT. ATLAS SHIP, HANGER – DAY

_Jack and young Roland walk through a large open hanger having a conversation. Around them various small craft are being attended to by Atlas dressed engineers._

ROLAND

All due respect sir, but I don't understand the problem. We won.

JACK

You disobeyed a direct order.

ROLAND

It was a shit order.

JACK

It was my order.

_The scene melts again._

259. INT. ATLAS SHIP, HANGER – DAY

_This is the same scene but a short time later on the far side of the hanger to where the other one took place. Jack pulls ahead of Roland and rounds on him, causing the soldier to stop. Putting himself nose to nose with Roland, Jack growls._

JACK

Your parent's may own this corporation, but don't think that will keep me from throwing you out of the squad if I have to.

_Again the scene melts away._

260. INT. ATLAS SHIP, DORMS - DAY

_A brown haired soldier is sat at a small table fiddling with a holographic screen. The name on the front of his uniform identifies him as S. Falcon. Around the side of the room, three doors lead to tiny area filled with bunks with the fourth leads out of the dorms into a long brightly lit corridor._

_Roland strides in from the corridor and makes his way around the table, giving the following line the moment he enters the room._

ROLAND

Man. I swear the longer I spend with him, the more I think he's up to something.

FALCON

You might not be too far off. Look what I found.

_Roland comes up behind Falcon as his friend grabs the thin mat, projecting the holographic screen from the table and hands it to Roland._

_The scene melts away._

261. INT. ATLAS SHIP, SCIENCE LAB - DAY

_A clinically white room split into two halves. One half is full of holographic screens sat on numerous desks scattered seemingly randomly around the space. The walls along this area are lined with benches where various scientific implements sit, some used, most not._

_Across the other side of the room are what appear to be glass cages. Over a dozen of these cages are spread around the area, all filled with what at first appear to be prisoners, all dressed in a white singlets and shorts. At least three quarters are female, although there are a few males dotted among them._

_Jack and an unknown scientist are stood in front of these cages, talking._

SCIENTIST

We're starting to run low on the substance you found in the vault. Three more died this week; all male. Overall though, the female bond rate has been impressive.

JACK

Have you managed to recreate the powers the first woman displayed?

SCIENTIST

Not those exact… skills, no. But we've had an interesting mix of different abilities appearing in various candidates.

262. INT. ATLAS SHIP, AIR VENT - DAY

_Roland and Falcon lay prone in a small air vent. They are peering through a small grill into the Science lab, listening to Jack and the Scientist speak._

_Roland looks up at Falcon as the scene melts away._

263. INT. ATLAS SHIP, DORMS - DAY

_Falcon is once again sat in front of his computer as Roland paces in front of the desk._

FALCON

Almost three hundred people, if I'm reading this right. I'm not sure what they're doing but it involves exposing them to small traces Eridium.

ROLAND

Small traces! And they were able to do _that_! What do you think would happen if they used a large dose?

FALCON

Thankfully no one down there has had the balls to try.

_All of a sudden the entire shakes and the sound of an explosion fills the area. After a moment it settles._

ROLAND

What was that?

_Again the scene melts._

264. EXT. UNKNOWN PLANET, SMALL SIDE STREET – NIGHT

_Down a small street a hologram of a news caster reads an article accompanied by picture of war, flames, explosions, dead bodies and sirens, identified by the strange patterns running down their necks and arms._

NEWSREADER

Three more cities have been devastated today on Earth.

_The scene flashes to another news program._

ANCHOR

We've reached out to Atlas, who was the first major corporation to be hit but so far we have heard no response.

_Yet another program. This time Jack is giving a public statement, surrounded by soldiers._

JACK

We are dealing with a new type of Alien species. They may appear human, but they would not think twice about slaughtering you and your family.

_Back to the first program._

NEWSREADER

The aliens have been given the name Siren's, based on their human female appearance. Historically, the siren was a mythical creature that would lure sailors in with their charms and beauty only to drag them to the bottom of the ocean.

_A new news program with a different presenter._

PRESENTER

Tensions are rising as the owners of the Atlas Corp have been coming under constant fire from both Dahl and Hyperion.

_The scenes disappears and changes into…_

265. INT. APARTMENT, SMALL ROOM - DAY

_A knock is heard on a rusty metal door. Roland approaches and the door slides open to reveal Jack._

JACK

I'm sorry Roland. There was nothing I could do. They came out of no-where.

_The scene melts back into the newsrooms._

266. EXT. UNKNOWN PLANET, SMALL SIDE STREET – NIGHT

_The hologram once again displays the second new channel's anchor reading to a small picture of an Atlas ship mid explosion._

ANCHOR

The Atlas Corporation has been left headless as reports come in that the ship housing the entire board of directors was destroyed by a Siren attack. Among the dead are the founders of the Atlas Corporation and their son.

_This is accompanied by a picture of a young Roland with his parents._

267. INT. UNKNOWN PLANET, SMALL HIDEOUT - DAY

_The room is littered with computer screens, each one displaying pictures or movies and a news article from the Siren war. Flacon sits in front of a large holographic screen as Roland stands in the background._

FALCON

I've been over the logs more times than I can count. There were no Siren ships in the area when your parents were killed.

_Upon hearing this, Roland turns and walk towards Falcon to get a better look at his screen as the scene melts away._

268. INT. APPARTMENT, SMALL ROOM - DAY

_Roland is stood at the door listening to Jack. He's blinking back tears at the news of his parents death, but does his best to show no emotion._

JACK

As the highest ranking officer, I'll be taking temporary control of Atlas until we can find a suitable replacement for the original board.

_The scenes begin to speed up, showing flashes of combat and exploding ships. In the later half of these flashes glimpses of Mordecai are seen in a number of them and Brick not long after. Eventually the scene melts away in front of Roland and returns to…_

269. INT. THE VAULT, LOWER STORAGE ROOM - ?

_Roland shakes his head as his environment returns to normal and the pulsing coming from the spherical object he's holding dies down. Looking around he quickly checks himself to make sure he's not still caught up in the visions. Satisfied that its over he mutters to himself._

ROLAND

What the hell was that?

_Out of no-where a voice suddenly rings through the room._

ANGEL

I had to integrate with your brain in order to communicate with you. The memory replay was a side effect of this process.

_Roland spins around and finds himself facing an attractive woman with long black hair. Despite the air in the room being still, her hair seems to be picked up by a non-existent breeze, blowing over her face. Her eyes shine bright blue and black pants and a dark shirt cover her slender body._

_Roland takes a moment to examine the stranger, before raising a hand and pointing at her._

ROLAND

You… are in my brain?

_The angel nods as Roland pauses for a beat._

ROLAND

That is not cool.

270. INT. THE VAULT, MAIN HALL SECOND TIER - ?

_Mordecai has his back pushed against one of the pillars connecting the second tier to the roof of the vault. From the other side of the pillar, the Atlas soldier fires of his rifle, creating a bullet hole in the stone._

_Hearing the rifle go off, Mordecai swings around and fires a burst from the assault rifle he grabbed earlier. He's barely stopped firing as he swings back against the pillar having missed the Atlas soldier._

_The response comes a moment later in the form of a single, powerful bullet that tears a chunk out of the side of the pillar, uncomfortably close to Mordecai's hand._

_Mordecai jumps out to shoot again, but instantly ducks back into cover when he sees that the soldier is already lining up his next shot without having to reload. The bullet bursts trough the pillar, making the chunk already taken out even bigger._

_Mordecai holds the gun up to his chest as he psyches himself up to jump out again._

MORDECAI

My Grandmother for a scope.

_He jumps out and pulls down on the trigger, spraying bullets towards the soldier._

271. INT. THE VAULT, MAIN HALL GROUND FLOOR - ?

_Steele hits the ground on her stomach and slowly starts to roll onto her back. She's starting to run out of energy and it's showing on her face as she pants heavily. Lilith strides up to the downed Steele as she finishes rolling onto her back and begins to sit up._

_Lilith points an arm at a nearby Lance soldier, firing up towards a bandit above him. A tongue of flame errupts from his rifle and smothers Steele, who pulls up a shield and blocks the attack. The shield disappears as the flames stop and Steele finds herself looking right into Lilith's face._

_Drawing back a fist she punches Steele in the side of the head, causing her head to whip around, her body following shortly afterwards. A beat passes and she slowly turns back to Lilith, a drop of blood dripping down from her mouth. The look she gives Lilith is murderous._

LILITH

Awe. Did that hurt?

_Steele wipes away the blood before muttering to herself._

STEELE

Not as much as you are about to.

_Squinting at Lilith, Steele once again puts the high pitched noise back in her head, causing Lilith to double over, both hands shooting up to her temples. The noise is only there for a moment and Lilith finds herself being thrown back across the room by Steele and hitting the far wall._

272. INT. THE VAULT, LOWER STORAGE ROOM - ?

_Roland faces the dark haired woman stood just to one side of the stand. He still holds the sphere in his right hand._

ROLAND

Who are you?

ANGEL

I am a message. A warning… You want to know why this vault contains no other artefacts.

ROLAND

I was a smidge curious.

_The angel walks over to one of the vaults walls and examines the dull writing. She reaches out as though to touch the wall but stops herself and lowers her arm. After a moment she spins back to Roland._

ANGEL

This place was never built to store weapons or other... valuables from our people. It was designed to hold something else. Something far more dangerous.

273. INT. THE VAULT, MAIN HALL GROUND FLOOR - ?

_Lilith is still pushed up against the wall as Steele slowly moves towards her. Despite her struggling, Lilith is unable to free herself. As Steele nears her she growls…_

STEELE

You should be thankful that you can not read my mind. Or you would know how many ways I am going to torture you before I let you die.

_She curls back her upper lip and Lilth's face contorts in pain as the pricing shriek rattles through her head._

274. INT. THE VAULT, MAIN HALL SECOND TIER - ?

_Mordecai emerges on the edge of the tier with the rifle from the soldier he was recently fighting in one hand and a scope he's found in the other. Quickly slotting the scope into its slot at the top of the rifle, he lifts it to his eye and focuses his view on Steele._

_Lining her up against the crosshairs dawn onto the scope he speaks softly to himself._

MORDECAI

Right. Now just hold steady there for a moment.

_He tightens his grip on the trigger but doesn't pull it yet._

275. INT. THE VAULT, MAIN HALL GROUND FLOOR - ?

_Steele allows the noise in Lilith's head to fade away. Breathing very irregularly, Lilith eventually manages to open her eyes and look straight at Steele._

_A reflective flash just to Steele's left draws her attention and she moves her gaze over to see Mordecai, stood on the highest tier, pointing his rifle at Steele._

_Almost as soon as she's seen him, she flicks her eyes back to Steele and tries to pretend she didn't see anything, but it's too late._

_Steele squints her eyes slightly as she reads Lilith's mind and after a moment holds an arm out behind her with the palm facing Mordecai._

276. INT. THE VAULT, MAIN HALL SECOND TIER - ?

_At the same moment that Steele holds out her arm, Mordecai fires his weapon. The aim is perfect and travels right for the back of Steele's head._

277. INT. THE VAULT, MAIN HALL GROUND FLOOR - ?

_Mordecai's bullet never quite makes it to the Siren though as her hand glows a bright blue and the bullet stops in its tracks, hovering in the air right in front of Steele's palm._

_Slowly, Steele turns to face the bullet pointing directly at her. She makes a rotating movement with her hand and over the next few moments the bullet spins until the flat end of the bullet is facing back towards Steele._

_There's a brief pause from both Steele and Mordecai. Then, with a flick of her wrist, Steele sends the bullet whizzing back to Mordecai._

278. INT. THE VAULT, MAIN HALL SECOND TIER

_Mordecai can only watch as his bullet is returned to him, not expecting or having enough time to move out of its way._

_The bullet enters his right thigh, near the top of his leg and bursts through the other side, carrying pieces of shattered bone and muscle with it._

_Mordecai drops onto the ground, dropping the rifle over the edge of the tier and lets out a howl of pain as he hits the ground. Blood begins to pool under his injured leg and he claps a hand over the wound, wincing in pain as he tries to slow the bleeding._

279. INT. THE VAULT, MAIN HALL GROUND FLOOR - ?

_Steele slowly turns back to Lilith who yells out as she sees Mordecai drop._

LILITH

No!

STEELE

On second thoughts, I might have my fun with him instead.

_He flicks her hand and Lilith swings from one side of the vault, to the other, hitting the far side with enough force to knock most people out. She remains conscious and screams as her head is filled with the piercing shriek._

280. INT. THE VAULT, LOWER STORAGE ROOM ENTRANCE - ?

_Jack creeps up to the small entrance hall leading into the Storage room. Peeking around the corner he sees Roland stood in the middle of the room, supposedly talking to himself._

281. INT. THE VAULT, LOWER STORAGE ROOM - ?

_Changing to Roland perspective, Angel is stood on the other side of the stand to Roland. She occasionally looks at him, but also spends a lot of her time examining the walls, as though reading the symbols carved into them._

ANGEL

My people sacrificed themselves in order to seal the vault permanently.

ROLAND

Evidentially my presence proves that they weren't altogether successful.

ANGEL

No. And this means that…

282. INT. THE VAULT, LOWER STORAGE ROOM ENTRANCE - ?

_Cutting back to Jack's perspective Angel disappears and Roland is left stood alone in the room again. Jack slowly starts to pull out a pistil and holds it to his chest as Roland responds to the invisible Angel._

ROLAND

From here? How?

_A soft, but noticeable crash is heard over the background noise of the battle, causing Jack to look back quickly._

283. EXT. ERIDIAN PROMONTORY, THIN CHASM - ?

_Claptrap moves down the thin chasm approaching a long wall at the end, filled with what appear to be carvings of the guardians that the group fought in the cave earlier._

CLAPTRAP

Well hello, ugly.

_It rolls right up to the wall, putting its lens right up to one of the motionless creatures that's bending down to around Claptraps height. Reaching up it taps the creature on the nose twice with the end of its thin arm._

_Letting out a loud, shrieking roar, the statue suddenly springs to life followed closely by the rest of the wall. Claptrap lets out a terrified scream in response, spins around and legs it back down the chasm as the alien creatures shake the dust and snow off of their wings and launch themselves into the air._

284. INT. THE VAULT, LOWER STORAGE ROOM - ?

_Angel is still talking to Roland, she's abandoned the walls and is maintaining almost constant eye contact with the soldier._

ANGEL

You must listen to me Roland. Planets have been completely destroyed. You can not let…

_She stops and moves her head to look past him. Spinning around to follow her line of sight, Roland finds himself looking straight into Jack's gun. Jack slowly moves towards Roland, keeping his gun trained on the soldier the whole time._

JACK

I could have sworn I killed you. How the devil are you still alive?

ROLAND

Cheat codes.

_Jack indicated towards the sphere in Roland's hand._

JACK

What did you see?

ROLAND

Now why would I tell you that?

JACK

Because I'll kill you if you don't.

ROLAND

You'll kill me if I do.

JACK

All right. Tell me, and I'll let you live.

ROLAND

How about you let me live and then I tell you.

JACK

Tell me when?

ROLAND

I'll send you a postcard when I'm off this planet.

FLYNT (O.S)

How about I kill you both, and then just use the artefact myself.

_Roland peeks past Jack to see Flynt leaning against the small entrance leading into the vault. Jack is forced to turn and stand side on to both men, looking between the two of them._

_Flynt cocks his revolver and aims it at Roland._

ROLAND

Hey! Wait! Whoah, whoah! You want the cliff notes? We need to get out of here. Now.

285. INT. THE VAULT, MAIN HALL SECOND TIER - ?

_Mordecai winces in pain as he pushes himself back along the floor with his good leg, leaving a trail of blood where he's dragged his injured leg over the ground._

_Reaching the wall he leans his back aginst the surface, letting out a groan of pain as he pulls his bad leg in and looks out back into the vault._

_His face slowly drops and his eyes widen as he sees something, hidden from the audience for the moment._

MORDECAI

Holy shit.

286. INT. THE VAULT, MAIN HALL FIRST TIER - ?

_The amount of soldiers and bandits still alive at this point are greatly reduced, although there are probably still over a dozen people alive on this tier, still fighting._

_Over the course of a few beats, the fighting stops as the fighters all notice the same thing that Mordecai's just seen and turn towards it._

_One bandit takes advantage of this distraction to hold a pistil to the Lance soldier's head stood right next to him and pull the trigger._

287. INT. THE VAULT, MAIN HALL GROUND FLOOR - ?

_Steele pulls Lilith a few feet from the wall and sends her smashing back. She pulls her away again and throws her back into the wall._

_The third time she pulls Lilith away from the wall, she holds her there and forces her entire body to tense up, arching her back slightly._

_Lilith no longer has the strength to scream and simply groans._

STEELE

If you were not so stubborn, we could have taken over this entire galaxy. Just you and me, two of the last remaining Sirens.

_She scoffs._

STEELE

But you have wasted enough of my time now.

_Steele twists her hand and Lilith's body arches back again. Her face twists in agony. Steele turns her hand even further, glaring at Lilith as she tries to resist Steele's powers, to no avail._

_Steele's fingers tense up as she prepares to deal the fatal blow to Lilith._

_Suddenly Steele shudders violently, accompanied by a wet squelching noise._

_Lilith is released from the air and falls painfully to the ground. Looking up she sees Steele stood in front of her, both of her hands at her stomach wrapped around a large spike that has impaled her from behind._

_Lilith then sees the monster behind Steele. It's massive, taking up virtually the entire width and height of the vault. At first it looks like a massive red blob with hundreds of tentacles, most only a few feet long, although at least half a dozen of them are reasonably long ending in sharp spikes, with two massive tentacles at the front._

_The beast has a single, blue eye near the top of what can only be its head and the front of the monster is made up of a mouth, which appears to split the creature in half vertically._

_It's one of the long tentacles that is currently protruding through Steele. As Lilith watches, the siren is lifted off of the ground by the creature and carried above the large mouth._

_The creature parts the two sides of its face, revealing a pit made up of hundreds of sharp, razor pointed teeth. At least ten rings, rotating a few inches in the opposite direction to the rings adjacent to them and then rotating back._

_Upon seeing her fate, Steele, who barely made a whimper when initially impaled through the stomach, suddenly lets out a hair-raising scream._

_The tentacle shakes and she slides off, falling into the creature's mouth. The screams only intensify as the teeth slowly begin to shred her body._

_The teeth aren't massive and at first just cut into the skin on her legs. Attempting to climb out, she leaps for the side of the creature's mouth, but with her legs already caught in its teeth, all she achieves is to fall forwards exposing the front of her body to the mincer._

_Her screams begin to turn to gurgles as the teeth begin to saw into bone and tissue. Pushing down with her arms, Steele manages to roll onto her back, revealing the front of her body, which in a very short time has been torn to shreds._

_Lilith watches at the start, but eventually can't take it any more and turns away. Thankfully, only a few moments after Steele has rolled over, the monster closes its mouth, locking her in, although her screams can still be heard._

288. INT. THE VAULT, MAIN HALL SECOND TIER - ?

_Pushing against the wall and attempting to place all of his weight on his good leg, Mordecai continues to watch the monster as the screams turn to gurgles and then finally fade out as Steele eventually dies inside the creature's mouth._

MORDECAI

And then there were five.

_The monster lets out a loud, low-pitched growl and its tentacles shoot out towards the front of the vault, where the bandits and Lance soldiers are stood._

289. INT. THE VAULT, MAIN HALL GROUND FLOOR - ?

_Lilith is stood almost right in front of the creature and leaps to the side as the tentacles burst forwards, just managing to avoid one of the large two at the front as it reaches for the thick pillar connecting the floor to the first tier._

_One of the long thin tentacles, sweeps along the first tier, knocking soldiers and bandits off their feet and managing to snatch one of the lance soldiers by the arm, lifting him up and opening the large mouth, dropping him in._

_Screams fill the room. The bandits and lance abandon their fight with one another and instead focus on firing at the creature or simply getting out of there._

_Lilith hits the back wall and spins around. She attempts to become invisible however, not having the energy left in her, she flicks back into existence almost instantly, not even letting out the usual shockwave._

_The second large tentacle rises up into their air and then comes down on the left hand side of the vault, smashing through the left extension of the first tier and continuing though the wall of the main hall._

290. INT. THE VAULT, LOWER STORAGE ROOM - ?

_The three men in this room have barely moved. Roland is still holding the ball as he faces down a gun from both Jack and Flynt. Jack however is eyeing off Flynt cautiously, waiting for the gun to turn in his direction._

ROLAND

Seriously. There's a good reason this place was made so damn hard to get into.

JACK

I have no idea what you're talking about, Roland. It's empty. There's nothing here.

_No sooner has he said the words, the monsters large tentacle smashes through the roof of the room and drops between Flynt and the other two men, followed by a small mountain of stones which fill in any gaps the tentacle may not have filled in the barrier._

_Having been closest to the falling tentacle, Jack stumbles back and Roland takes the opportunity to toss the sphere at him, yelling._

ROLAND

Fine, catch!

_The sphere bounces off of Jacks head and comes to a rest on the ground. Shaking his head, slightly dazed, Jack reached down and picks up the sphere. His gloves still cover his whole hand and so the device doesn't activate._

_Slipping it into a small pocket on his uniform, Jack looks over in the direction Roland disappeared and starts to give chase._

291. INT. THE VAULT, MAIN HALL GROUND FLOOR - ?

_Jogging out of the entrance he used earlier to get to the storage room, Flynt finds himself stood right next to the massive monster. The large tentacle that came through the roof of the storage room is lying in front of him, blocking his way back to the vault entrance._

_Upon seeing the creature, Flynt immediately points his gun at it although the revolver suddenly seems comically small for the large creature in front of him._

_Keeping the revolver pointed at the creature, Flynt begins to move around to its rear, ducking under one of the smaller, but long tentacles as it whips through the air, towards the front of the vault._

292. INT. THE VAULT, MAIN HALL GROUND FLOOR - ?

_Lilith is still pushed up against the wall when she hears a grinding noise off to her left. Looking over, she sees the pillar that the creature is currently wrapping its tentacles around is beginning to give way._

_There's another loud crack and the pillar shatters, falling apart under the weight of the tentacles grip. With the pillar gone, the right hand side of the first tier starts to crumble to the ground, forcing Lilith to make a run for it as heavy stone begins to drop around her._

_With a loud smash, one end of the first tier drops and hits the floor, creating a ramp leading up to the first tier in the process. Anyone stood on that section of the tier, is either thrown off the side, or rolls down onto the ground floor._

_Lilith is showered in dust but manages to just avoid being squashed by a couple of feet._

_The tentacle that was grabbing the pillar swings around wildly, reaching out for the second tier. For a moment it looks like it might grab the pillar connecting to the roof however it smashes right through that pillar and moves straight towards Mordecai._

293. INT. THE VAULT, MAIN HALL SECOND TIER - ?

_Mordecai is holding himself up with the wall and half limping, half hopping towards the open portal. Hearing a loud smash behind him, Mordecai sees the tentacle coming for him, having just smashed through the pillar._

MORDECAI

Jesus!

_Letting go of the wall, Mordecai falls to the ground on his back and lays there as the tentacle passes right over him._

294. INT. THE VAULT, HIDDEN RAMP - ?

_Roland darts up the ramp leading back to the small room where he killed the skags earlier. With a low groan, the earth rumbles beneath his feet, throwing him into the wall. Attempting to continue to run, despite the ground moving beneath his feet, Roland stumbles left and right as he makes his way up the ramp._

_Unable to keep his balance any longer, Roland falls forwards. The ramps incline means he doesn't have to fall far and is able to cushion his fall by throwing his arms forwards._

_As he hits the floor a bullet hole appears right next to his chest on the ramp. Rolling onto his side, he looks back down the ramp and spots Jack, leaning against the wall near the bottom aiming his pistil at Roland._

_Spinning back onto his stomach, Roland scrambles forwards as the rumbles come to a stop and pulls himself back onto his feet. Two more shots ricochet off the walls as Roland finishes the climb and disappears through the thin entrance into the small room._

_Cursing, Jack makes his way up the ramp after Roland and spins right to go through the entrance into the small room._

_He doesn't make it through though as Roland jumps out and sends a fist into Jack's face, sending the man stumbling back down the ramp, firing off a wildly aimed shot as he does._

_Taking a moment to recover, Jack looks back at the opening, but Roland has disappeared._

295. INT. THE VAULT, EMPTY ANETCHAMBER - ?

_Roland clears the length of the antechamber in a matter of seconds and reaches the entrance leading out to the Main Hall Second Tier. As he reaches the entrance he stops, looking out at the massive beast in front of him._

296. INT. THE VAULT, MAIN HALL FIRST TIER - ?

_The ground in front of the opening Roland is stood in has fallen to create the ramp leading down to the ground floor, created by the monster earlier._

_The monster lashes out with one of its long tentacles towards a group of three bandits who all fire their guns at the appendage. The bullets dig into the soft flesh above the spike._

_Purple blood oozing from the wounds, the tentacle stops its advance, backing up slightly. For a moment it looks like it might retreat back towards the monster._

_Suddenly, the frantic waving stops and the spike at the end disappears, sucking itself into the tentacle._

_With the spiky bit no longer in sight, the bandits cease firing, although they keep their weapons trained in its direction._

_With a sudden whooshing noise, three spikes, much smaller than the main one shoot out of the end of the tentacle, aimed at each of the three bandits. The smaller spikes hit the bandits, causing them to fly backwards as they are impaled and sticking them to the back wall of the vault._

_Two hang with their feet dangling at least a foot from the ground while the third ends up in an awkward, semi seated position._

297. INT. THE VAULT, EMPTY ANTECHAMBER - ?

_Roland is still looking out when his attention is grabbed by a bullet bouncing off of the wall just to his right. Spinning around on the spot he looks back towards Jack, who's stood about half way across the chamber._

ROLAND

Hey. I don't think now is the time for this.

JACK

Now is exactly the time for this.

_He aims his pistil and begins to squeeze down on the trigger. Roland mutters to himself and reaches into his jacket._

ROLAND  
Alright.

_He pulls out the sphere from earlier._

ROLAND

Try not to hit this.

_Baffled, Jack reaches down towards the pocket where he placed the sphere earlier, patting it a number of times to make sure it really is empty. Roland gives a sly smile as Jack look back up at him._

ROLAND

Funny how being punched in the face can divert your attention.

_Jack growls and despite Roland holding out the sphere, aims his pistil at the soldier._

ROLAND

No. Nono.

_Jack begins to walk towards Roland, firing off two shots. Both shots are close but just miss. Roland spins around towards the main hall and jumps from the antechamber._

298. INT. THE VAULT, MAIN HALL GROUND FLOOR - ?

_Roland hits the ground about a third of the way down the newly created ramp and half runs, half falls a number of steps towards the ground floor._

_Regaining his balance he completes the journey to the ground floor and looks up at the monster towering above him._

_The monster extends one of its purple tentacles towards the bandits it pinned to the first tier wall earlier and tears one of the hanging ones. Opening up its wide mouth it drops the bandit in._

_From all over the vault a mixture of bandits and lance soldier continuously fire on the beast as another tentacle throws a spike at a lance soldier on the ground floor and grabs a bandit trying to climb the ramp from the first tier to the second with yet another tentacle._

_Looking across the ground floor, Roland spots Lilith huddled against the far corner._

ROLAND

Lilith!

_He starts to make his way towards Lilith when one of the purple tentacles whips out in front of him. Roland stops and backs up a few steps. To his horror he finds that the monster seems to have his scent and the tentacle moves towards him. It lashes out for his arm, but he manages to pull it back just in time._

ROLAND

Oi. No touchy.

_The tentacle comes at him again and Roland backs up, ducking to the side to avoid being grabbed. Now in full reverse, he hits the wall and straightens up as a number of bullet fly past him. Looking over in the direction the bullets came from he spots Flynt moving past the creature, having emerged from behind it._

_The tentacle lunges for Roland but after seeing Flynt, he's already left the area making a dash for the ramp back to the first tier. Hearing another couple of rounds being fired Roland instinctively ducks as he reaches the ramp._

_He turns to begin running up it and stops. Jack is half way down the ramp, holding his pistil. Roland is now boxed in between Jack and Flynt._

ROLAND

Oh dear.

_A bullet from Flynt whizzes past him and hits the wall. Jack holds his gun up in Roland's direction as the tentacle from the monster makes another lunge for him._

299. INT. THE VAULT, MAIN HALL SECOND TIER - ?

_Mordecai is all but on his hands and knees now as he works his way towards the portal. Every time he puts pressure on his injured leg he lets out a soft groan of pain._

_The portal is only a few more meters in front of him and just beyond that is the ramp leading down to the first tier. As Mordecai looks up to see how far he is from his destination Nine-toes appears in front of him, tearing up the ramp away from the monster._

_The bandit spots Mordecai and stops. Mordecai pauses as Nine-Toes pulls out his gun and aims it at Mordecai._

_The gun fires but at the same time, Nine-toes is pulled off his feet, causing the shot to fly off miles away from Mordecai._

_Nine-toes lets out a cry as the monster pulls him down the ramp with its tentacle before lifting him into the air._

NINE-TOES

Shit. Oh shit. Let me go. Put me down. Me laisser tomber vous pissez buvant belette!

_Nine-toes is raised above the creature's massive mouth._

300. INT. THE VAULT, MAIN HALL GROUND FLOOR - ?

_Nine-toes' screams distract Flynt who looks up as the monster opens its mouth and drops the bandit in._

_The tentacle pursuing Roland leaps forwards and wraps itself around his arm. Roland pulls back against the tentacle as it begins to pull him towards the monster. He reaches out, looking for any handhold he can grab onto to try and keep himself from being pulled in any further. The tentacle starts to rise up into the air, taking Roland with it._

_As his feet start to leave the ground he looks over at Jack who still has his gun trained on him._

ROLAND

Well! Shoot it!

_Jack adjusts his aim and sends three bullets into the tentacle. Releasing its grip, the tentacle flies up into the air as Roland drops back to the ground. He lands on his feet and looks up at the tentacle._

_The purple appendage leaves him alone for the moment and moves towards the second tier instead. Convinced that it's not coming straight back, Roland looks back at Jack._

ROLAND

That was uncharacteristically kind of you.

JACK

I'm not about to let that thing steal my kill.

_Jack points the gun at Roland. A gunshot is heard, but amazingly, Roland appears unharmed. Jack on the other hand, immediately clutches at his side and looks at his bloody hands._

_Following the sound of the gunshot, Roland turns around back to face Flynt who still has his gun aimed at Jack. Behind Roland, Jack decides to opt out of the fight with his new injury and starts to move up the ramp._

ROLAND

No need to fight over me.

_Flynt readjusts his aim back to Roland and takes a step forwards._

FLYNT

Oh I am going to enjoy this.

301. INT. THE VAULT, MAIN HALL SECOND TIER - ?

_Mordecai hasn't moved far since seeing Nine-toes yanked out from right in front of him. He's snapped out of his trance by the sight of the tentacle that was recently chasing Roland suddenly shooting down towards him._

_Mordecai attempts to scramble out of the way, but the moment he puts pressure on his injured leg, it collapses underneath him and he's left lying on his back._

_The tentacle wraps itself around his leg and starts to drag him towards the edge of the tier. Reaching out, Mordecai grabs at a nearby body of a Crimson Lance soldier and manages to grab a shotgun. He swings it round and fires off a shot at the tentacle._

_The force of the gun, coupled with the poor grip by Mordecai, only holding onto it with one hand, causes the gun to jump out of his hand as it fires. The pellets still manage to hit the monster though and it lets go of his leg, retreating a few feet._

_It's only gone for a beat though and comes back at him, sending the spike at the end through the existing bullet hole in his leg, causing him to scream out in pain._

_Lifting him up by his injured leg, Mordecai continues to scream in agony as he's carried above the battle towards the creatures opening mouth._

302. INT. THE VAULT, MAIN HALL GROUND FLOOR - ?

_Hearing Mordecai's screams, Lilith looks up and seeing him being carried towards the creature._

LILITH

No. MORDECAI!

_She runs forwards a couple steps towards the creature and scans the ground looking for a weapon. She spots Flynt moving towards a motionless Roland, gun aimed at his chest._

_Finding an extra reserve of strength she didn't have before, she holds out an arm as Flynt fires his weapon at Roland._

_A tongue of flame bursts out of the end of the gun and wraps around towards the beast. Its not clear what happens to the bullet, but Roland appears unharmed and darts off up the ramp. Caught by surprise, Flynt lets go of the gun allowing it to fall to the ground and jumps back._

_The flames lick over the beast causing it to let out a loud, low-pitched growl. The tentacle holding Mordecai shakes, causing his body to flap about with the force. One its large tentacles, on Flynt's side raises up as though shielding the creatures face._

_The flames stop and the tentacle comes down, smashing through a section of the second tier and taking out a portion of the ramp connecting the ground floor to the first tier._

303. INT. THE VAULT, MAIN HALL FIRST TIER - ?

_The tentacle just misses Roland, but he makes it to the first tier and grabs an assault rifle off of the bandit pinned to the wall in a seated position._

_Aiming the rifle at the creature he fires off a round, empting the clip. The bullets embed themselves into the creature but it barely seems to notice._

304. INT. THE VAULT, MIAN HALL - ?

_Mordecai lets out another scream, attempting to reach to his leg where the tentacle is protruding through his thigh. The shaking stops. Mordecai looks down and finds himself staring at the creatures large mouth as its face begins to part and the razor sharp teeth are revealed._

305. INT. THE VAULT, MAIN HALL FIRST TIER - ?

_The vault inhabitants are running thin with only a very small handful of bandits and lance either firing at the creature or retreating towards the portal. Roland fires another round at the creature as the mouth opens revealing bits of bone and various limbs still stuck in the circular rows of teeth._

_Roland fires a round into the creatures mouth but the bullets just bounce off of the teeth appearing to inflict no damage at all._

306. INT. THE VAULT, MAIN HALL GROUND FLOOR - ?

_Lilith races towards the revelover dropped by Flynt and bends down to pick it up. As she's going for the pistil, Flynt comes in from her side and shoves her away from the pistil. Bending down he scoops the gun up himself and aims it at Lilith._

_Pulling her arm apart she manages to form a weak shield. It disappears after only a moment but its enough to block the shot Flynt sends her way. He pauses for a moment before firing off another shot, again, deflected by Lilith forming another shield, she hold this one a bit longer but after a few moments it flickers out of existence._

_Curling back his upper lip he aims the gun again but does get the chance to take the next shot as the massive tentacle, which has since been lifted from the groove created in the first tier ramp slams down against the ground directly on top of him._

307. INT. THE VAULT, MAIN HALL - ?

_The mouth of the beast is fully opened and the tentacle moves so that Mordecai is hovering directly above. He looks down at the shredder of a mouth below him. The numerous rows of teeth with a small black hole in the middle where bits and pieces of what used to be humans are slowly guided by the teeth._

_Letting out a growl, Mordecai kicks out with his good leg towards the tentacle holding him up. The action causes him a massive amount of pain as the spike driven through his leg just digs in deeper as the tentacle wraps itself tighter around his injured leg. Cursing he reaches down and tries to grab the spike, but its no good. He has next to no energy left. His body gives in and he slumps back down, hanging upside down above the meat grinder of a mouth._

_A large rocket flies through the air and impacts against the monster. The blast from the explosion sends a wave of hot air over Mordecai, causing him to hold his hands above his face, attempting to shield himself from the heat. As the smoke begins to clear, Mordecai looks back towards the front of the vault._

308. INT. THE VAULT, MAIN HALL SECOND TIER - ?

_Brick reaches into a small sack by his feet and grabs another rocket, loading it into the Rocket Launcher, held upright next to him._

_Having reloaded the weapon, Bricks hoists it onto his shoulder and squeezes the trigger sending another rocket towards the creature._

_The rocket smashes into the creature, exploding on impact._

309. INT. THE VAULT, MAIN HALL - ?

_As the second rocket hits, the creature lets out its loudest roar, flailing its tentacles. The movements finally cause Mordecai's leg to slip off of the spike at the end of the tentacle holding him and he drops towards the ground._

310. INT. THE VAULT, MAIN HALL GROUND FLOOR - ?

_Flying through the air, Mordecai hits the wall just above the ramp connecting the ground floor to the first tier and falls to the earth, attempting to twist himself to land on his feet. He's partially successful, but comes down hard on his injured leg, which immediately collapses beneath him._

_Mordecai ends up on his stomach and rolls down the ramp until he hits the groove carved out by the monsters large tentacle earlier. Falling a good three meters he lands on the rubble below on his side and lets out a painful groan as he allows his body to roll onto his back._

_His body goes limp and he lies motionless on the uneven stones._

311. INT. THE VAULT, MIAN HALL FIRST TIER - ?

_Roland is nearing the ramp leading up to the second tier as Mordedai drops to the ground. Quickly glancing up towards the exit to the vault, he doubles back and moves towards Mordecai's location._

312. INT. THE VAULT, MAIN HALL SECOND TIER - ?

_In response to the rockets, the monster lashes out with two long thin tentacles towards Brick. The first wraps around his arm. Reaching up with that arm and taking a hold of the tentacle, Brick brings his other hand around and grabs the purple appendage a few inches higher up._

_Arms bulging, he twists his hands and rotates them both downwards. A satisfying snap is heard from the tentacle and it immediately loosens its grip on his arm and pulls away._

_The second tentacle whips around and hits Brick in the back, pushing him forwards into the remains of a nearby pillar, missing its top half since the large tentacle smashed through it earlier._

313. INT. THE VAULT, MAIN HALL GROUND FLOOR - ?

_Mordecai is still lying on the ground when a figure limps in front of him holding its side with both hands. Noticing Mordecai out of the corner of his eye, the figure initially just gives him a passing glance, but double takes as he recognises Mordecai._

ATLAS SOLDIER

You!?

_Letting out a forced laugh, the figure steps forwards. Mordecai instantly recognises him as the Atlas soldier he stabbed earlier. The soldier is struggling to breath and looks like he's on the brink on consciousness, but that doesn't stop him from holding up a small SMG and pointing it at Mordecai._

ATLAS SOLDIER

Was it worth it? Giving up your freedom to try to save your girlfriend.

LILITH (O.S.)

I am not…

_Coming out of nowhere, Lilith brings a small fist around into the soldiers face. The soldier quickly recovers and fires a round at Lilith, but she blocks it with a shield. Forming a small bolt of energy between her hands she tosses it at the soldier, causing him to fly back half a dozen meters and hit the ground hard enough to keep him there._

LILITH

…his girlfriend.

_She looks down at Mordecai, who manages a weak smile._

MORDECAI

Pity, that.

_He grunts as Lilith helps him up, allowing him to hang off of her shoulder as he limps painfully towards the ramp. After a few steps, Roland appears, jumping down from half way up the ramp and landing next to the pair, causing Mordecai to look over._

MORDECAI

Roland. I'm…

ROLAND

We have a conversation to finish.

_Roland grabs Mordecai by the scruff of his neck and pushes him forcefully against the side of the ramp. Mordecai almost ends up on the ground as he tries to avoid standing on his injured leg. The back of his head hits the stone with an audible thud as he's shoved up against it._

LILITH

Roland. No.

_Lilith cries out as Mordecai is snatched from her shoulder. Mordecai stares at Roland for a beat saying nothing. After a moment he indicates towards the monster._

MORDECAI

Can it happen later?

_Roland looks around at the monster before pulling Mordecai in close, putting them almost nose to nose._

ROLAND

Just tell me. What the hell was going through your head when you chose to betray us?

MORDECAI

Oh God, oh God, I don't want to die?

ROLAND

You do realise if we get out of here, I'm going to kill you.

MORDECAI

Just do it gently.

_Roland shoves Mordecai away from him back towards Lilith. She manages to catch him and just manages to stop him from ending up on the ground._

_Roland strides past them both as all three begin to move towards the ramp._

MORDECAI

Speaking of being killed; how are you… … here?

ROLAND

See that thing attached to your wrist?

_Mordecai lifts his right arm, which still has Tannis's device attached to it._

MORDECAI

Yeah.

ROLAND

Think of it as a one-up.

_Mordecai takes a moment to give the device a good look, spinning his arm to examine the plain looking device from all angles. Eventually lowers his arm as they reach and begin to move up the ramp._

314. INT. THE VAULT, MAIN HALL SECOND TIER - ?

_Brick pushes himself off of the pillar and swings a fist at the tentacle that lunges for him. The fist manages to connect with the spike, deflecting it and causing it to bounce away but doesn't seem to cause the monster any damage._

_Quickly hoisting the rocket launcher onto his shoulder, Brick turns away from the tentacle and fires another rocket at the creature. The rocket hits just above the large eye causing it to snap shut and both the tentacles to retreat._

315. INT. THE VAULT, MAIN HALL FIRST TIER - ?

_Roland, Lilith and Mordecai are part way across the first tier moving towards the ramp leading up to the second tier._

MORDECAI

I don't suppose anyone's figured out what that thing is yet?

ROLAND

It's called the Destroyer.

MORDECAI

Imaginative name. Who told you that?

ROLAND

Long story. In a nutshell; that thing all but wiped out the aliens that made the vaults here and on Prometheus. This place was meant to act as a prison to stop it from wiping out all life in the Universe.

MORDECAI

Really. If it's that dangerous, I'm surprised they never thought to simply destroy the key so this place couldn't be opened again.

LILITH

They did.

ROLAND

Considering it was found in three parts, I'd say they gave it a pretty good crack.

_They reach the other ramp and begin to move up it._

316. INT. THE VAULT, MAIN HALL SECOND TIER - ?

_Stood at the top of the ramp, Brick notices the rest of the group moving upwards towards him. Leaving the rocket launcher on the ground, he jogs down towards the group, meeting them half way._

BRICK

Roland!

ROLAND

Where have you been?

_Brick doesn't answer Roland but takes a moment to give Mordecai an angry look, letting out a soft but audible growl. Mordecai has nothing to say to defend himself_.

ROLAND

Relax. He's on our side again.

LILITH

Brick. Could you?

_Bricks still noticeable angry, but he takes Mordecai off of Lilith's shoulder as she passes the thin man over to him. Rubbing her shoulder she follows the group to the top of the ramp._

_Eventually they find themselves stood in front of the portal as the monster down below begins to stir again. They are the last remaining people inside the vault although all three tiers are littered with dozens of dead bodies, both Lance and bandit._

_Roland pauses, first looking at the portal, and then back at the beast._

ROLAND

Alright. You guys go through.

LILITH

Us guys? What about you?

ROLAND

This vault needs to be closed.

_Hanging from Brick's shoulder, Mordecai spins around back towards Roland._

MORDECAI

So close it outside.

ROLAND

No. It didn't work last time, Tannis just came along and fixed the entrance back up. The vault needs to be closed from this side.

LILITH

And then what? You're just going to let yourself be killed?

ROLAND

Wouldn't be the first time today.

_The offhand comment causes Mordecai to lower his head and look down at the ground._

LILITH

Roland. No. You can't do this.

ROLAND

If I don't, and this thing gets out, its not just Pandora that'll be at risk.

MORDECAI

I'll do it.

_Roland looks over towards Mordecai._

ROLAND

Don't be stupid. You can barely walk.

_Mordecai holds up his right arm, showing off Tannis's device._

MORDECAI

Maybe, but unlike you, I have a ticket out of here.

_Roland pauses for a moment before giving in._

ROLAND

Can't argue with that logic.

_Mordecai releases Brick's shoulder and limps over to Roland. Roland lightly kicks the rocket launcher Brick left on the ground earlier._

ROLAND

Once we're gone, that portal needs to go down. I'd recommend using this.

_Mordecai nods and tries to push Roland towards the portal._

MORDECAI

Yeah. I'll worry about the portal. You just get out of here.

_Roland moves towards the portal_.

ROLAND

Alright. Lets go.

_He moves up to the portal as Brick steps through, back outside. Lilith turns back to Mordecai._

LILITH

I'll see you back at Fyrestone.

_Mordecai just nods in response and Lilith turns and steps through. Roland turns and is about to go back outside, but he's interrupted by Mordecai calling out._

MORDECAI

Hey Roland. Does it hurt?

_As he asks the question, he runs his hand over the device attached to his wrist._

ROLAND

Like a bitch.

_Not giving Mordecai a chance to reply, Roland spins and steps through the portal. Mordecai stands motionless for a moment, looking at the glowing portal the group have just disappeared through._

MORDECAI

Oh joy.

_His attention is drawn back to the monster in the vault by a low growl, which now seems to echo through the vault. Stealing a quick look at the creature, Mordecai reaches down and stands the rocket launcher upright, using it as a makeshift crutch while he examines the portal._

_It doesn't take him long to find a small glowing piece of machinery just above the portal. It somewhat cylindrical, but is made up of the same chaotic and jagged shapes that the vault key was._

_Behind him, the monster brings one of its massive tentacles down at the far edge of the second tier, busting through the stone and settling on the ramp below connecting the first tier to the ground floor. The other one wraps itself around one of the remaining pillars on the ground floor._

_The monster pulls itself forwards, bringing itself almost flush with the first tier._

_With a great deal more visible effort than what Brick displayed, Mordecai lifts the rocket launcher onto his shoulder and aims the large tube at the alien machinery._

MORDECAI

Here goes nothing.

_Suddenly he hears a loud, high-pitched noise coming from behind him. The pitch starts reasonably high but seems to rise even higher. It almost sounds like a ship engine powering up._

_Mordecai looks around back towards the monster, more than a little curious at to what's causing the noise. As he looks down, the first thing he notices is that the large blue eye has now turned a deep red._

_The noise stops._

_Although not entirely sure what's about to happen, Mordecai has a pretty good guess and throws himself backwards as a large beam shoot out of the creatures eye and destroys a decent portion of the stone tier. Mordecai manages to jump out of the way, however with nothing left to hold the rest of his section of the tier up it collapses underneath his feet and he plummets down to the lower level, accidentally squeezing the button on the rocket launcher as he does, sending a stray rocket towards the roof of the vault, nowhere near the portal._

317. INT. THE VAULT, MAIN HALL FIRST TIER - ?

_Mordecai hits the first tier hard and collapses onto the ground as intense pain shoots up his injured leg. He rolls on to his back and his eyes widen as he sees a massive slab of the tier falling directly for him. He quickly rolls left onto his stomach as the edge of the slab falls right next to him and breaks up, sending large rocks falling around him._

_Miraculously, even though a few rocks cover him, they're mostly smaller rocks and don't cause too much damage. As he attempts to roll back onto his back, he finds his right arm trapped underneath the main portion of the slab._

_He attempts to pull his arm out, but is unable. After failing to free himself a second time he attempts to pull himself onto his knees and get a bit more leverage for another attempt._

_His third attempt to free his arm also ends in failure. Taking a moment, Mordecai allows himself some time to breathe as he goes over his current situation in his head._

_Suddenly he feels something wrapping itself around his uninjured. Turning his body as far as his trapped arm will allow, he sees the monsters unbroken tentacle looping over his calf before tightening its grip._

MORDECAI

Shit!

_The monster pulls at Mordecai, stretching his body out as his trapped arm holds him back. Mordecai kicks out with his leg, trying to shake the tentacle loose but its no good. The tentacle increases its force and Mordecai's arm teeters on the edge of being pulled clean from his shoulder socket. Mordecai lets out a cry of pain as the monster gives another tug and his arm finally shoots out from under the rock, with a weird electrical buzz._

_Mordecai initially allows himself a quick cheer at being free however his face immediately drops, replaced by cold terror as he notices the patch of pale skin where Tannis's device should have been attached to his arm._

MORDECAI

Oh bugger.

_The monster pulls him along the ground of the first tier towards its massive body. Mordecai can't take his eyes off of his wrist as he slides along the ground._

_His left elbow bumps something causing him to look over. The object is the rocket launcher. Mordecai suddenly snaps back into gear._

MORDECAI

The portal!

_He reaches out with his left arm for the rocket launcher but he's already being dragged out of its reach. Desperately, he tries to scramble back across the ground, but he has no chance as the monster pulls him to the edge of the tier and lifts him up._

318. INT. THE VAULT, MAIN HALL - ?

_Mordecai looks back at the rocket launcher as he swings from the monsters grasp._

MORDECAI

No… NO!

_He's lifted above the creatures mouth which begins to open, once again revealing the sharp teeth that still house visible human remains._

_Mordecai continues to struggle against the tentacle, but hanging upside down, there's not a whole lot that he can really do. The mouth opens up to its widest point and the teeth begin to rotate in anticipation of their next victim._

_Mordecai stops struggling and allows his body to go limp. He reaches up with his left hand to his head and pulls off his mask, holding it loosely as he lets his hand drop. Waiting for the monster to drop him, he closes his eyes._

_A beat passes and he can feel himself being positioned for the drop and lets out a loud breath of air._

_A screeching noise fills the cavern. Not quite as high pitched as the eye made when preparing to attack, but certainly higher than most of the noises the creature has made. The screech almost reminds Mordecai of…_

_Snapping his eyes open he barely catches a glimpse of the small object streaking down towards the monster before it goes for its favourite body part._

_Lashing out with his claws Bloodwing tears into the monsters large eye, slashing at it twice before digging in with its beak, managing to draw a sickly white puss from the pupil._

_The monster lets out a cavern-shaking roar as Bloodwing continues to assault it. The cavern is filled with the high-pitched charge as the eye turns red and fires another beam at the bird. Bloodwing manages to dodge to one side though and flies over the beast, waiting for the beam to end before once again diving for the now blue eyeball._

_The creature swipes at Bloodwing with one of the large tentacles, followed by the one holding Mordecai. As he's pulled in front of the creatures face, he's unable to hold in a terrified scream._

_The tentacle finishes its swipe and hurtles towards the stone of the first tier, taking Mordecai with it. Another charge fills the cavern, drowned out by Bloodwing's screech._

_The tentacle stops its downwards travel just as its about to slam into the first tier and the monster releases a beam towards Bloodwing. The beam pierces through the roof of the vault and sends a number of large rocks falling towards the ground._

_With the beam now released, the tentacle holding Mordecai completes its journey into the first tier. Despite not having far to travel, Mordecai still hits the ground hard and has the wind knocked from his lungs as the tentacle finally lets go, the monster having turned its attention towards Bloodwing._

_Realizing that he's still holding his mask, Mordecai pulls it back over his head before looking forwards and spotting the rocket launcher laying on the ground only a couple meters in front of him._

_Mordecai scrambles forwards as Bloodwing makes another pass at the monsters eyes, digging its beak even further into the existing wound, causing another roar of pain to echo through the cavernous vault._

_Mordecai reaches the rocket launcher and leans it upright, once again using it as a leaning post. Desperately he looks around for the bag of rockets Brick had earlier. After quickly scanning the first tier he looks up towards the second tier and notices them right on the edge of the last surviving section of the tier, directly in front of the portal._

_Swinging, the rocket launcher forwards, he begins to hop towards the ramp. The journey seems to take forever as Bloodwing continues to distract the monster, swooping and diving around its tentacles and going in towards the eye whenever it gets the chance._

_One of the large tentacles smashes down on the first tier directly behind Mordecai taking out a large chunk. The tier shakes and begins to move beneath Mordecai's feet, causing him to quicken his pace._

_A large rock fall from the roof of the cavern and takes out the ramp leading from the ground to the first tier. Not long afterwards, a large tentacle swing horizontally and takes out what remains of one of the pillars on the first tier, sending a cloud of dust and small rocks in Mordecai's direction._

_The eye again shoots out another beam towards Bloodwing. Bloodwing avoids it by flying along the back of the vault, the beam hot on its tail. This also brings it uncomfortably close to Mordecai and he's forced to duck underneath it as it takes out the final pillar on the first tier, holding up the small remaining section of the second tier._

_The second tier doesn't immediately collapse, but cracks start appearing on the underside as it struggles to hold up its own weight._

_Mordecai pulls himself back upright and practically runs up the ramp, despite his bad leg._

319. INT. THE VAULT, MAIN HALL SECOND TIER - ?

_Reaching the top, Mordecai spots the bag with the final rocket in it. Pulling the rocket out he quickly shoves it into the end of the rocket launcher and despite the vault crumbling around him, manages to pull himself to his feet and hoist it onto his shoulder._

_The tier shudders underneath him, dropping a number of inches as the stone holding it to the wall starts to give in. Mordecai stumbles to the side, losing his balance for a moment and having to bring the rocket launcher back down against the ground to hold himself up._

_The ground is now sloping ever so slightly and it takes Mordecai two attempts to lift the rocket launcher. Behind him Bloodwing goes in for the attack again, keeping the monster busy._

_Mordecai finds the machinery above the portal, lines it up and fires the rocket._

_It's a direct hit but despite the explosion, the machinery fails to be destroyed and the portal stays open. A large rock falls from the ceiling and hits the sloping ground of the second tier, breaking off a decent sized chunk, making the tier even smaller._

MORDECAI

Ah hell!

_Suddenly Bloodwing swoops up next to him. Behind him the monster's eye turns red, pus continuing to leak from Bloodwings attack. Mordecai turns to face the monster and Bloodwing flaps its wings and raises itself up, placing itself in front of the machinery._

_It takes Mordecai a moment to realize what Bloodwing is doing._

MORDECAI

You clever little bastard.

_The high-pitched noise stops and is replaced by a loud screech from Bloodwing. The bright beam shoots from the monsters eye directly towards the bird, hitting the Eridian machinery and causing an explosion to rip through the device, tearing it to shreds._

_With no other option left to him, Mordecai abandons the rocket launcher and leaps towards the portal._


	16. What goes up

These notes will probably be a tad longer than usual as it's the last chapter. With the vault now done and dealt with, this chapter was initially just meant to act as an epilogue of sorts, but it managed to grow into its own thing as I worked to tie off the last few plot threads. I was a bit worried it may come off as a bit corny, especially given the tone I've used for the rest of the piece, but I think I just managed to keep it out of that territory.

I want to take this opportunity to thank everyone who has been reading and those that have stuck with this crazy idea through to the end. A extra special thank you to everyone who left feedback. Every piece of advice and criticism has been taken on board and the praise just made it so much easier to continue rolling out material until it reached a point where anyone might have thought this was my day job.

I understand the script format has received a very mixed reaction. I'll openly admit, I am much weaker writing in a standard format than I am this one, but I have been getting a lot of practice lately as I've been asked to novelize a script I wrote quite a few years ago so I'm debating which style to use for my next piece. At the end of the day the original concept for this story did kind of fail. If anyone was crazy enough to try and make this a movie, they'd end up with a six hour epic on their hands. Still, it was a lot of fun and despite telling myself when I started that this fanfic would be a once off, I've recently started pulling notes together for a piece based on Blizzards hit game, Diablo.

For anyone who's wondering, by the way, I'm about three hours into Borderlands 2 and while it does seem to be going out of its way to prove everything I made up for this story moot, I've stubbornly refused to change the ending because of it. If I do choose to adapt the sequel, I'll worry about continuity then, but given the epic task it took to do this, I can't guarantee I have another trip to Pandora left in me.

Anyway, that's all the rambling from me so for the final time, I hope you enjoy this latest entry.

* * *

320. EXT. ERIDIAN PROMONTORY, VAULT ENTRANCE – SUNRISE

_Mordecai hits the snow on his stomach as the portal behind him flickers. Bouncing once over the ground he rolls himself onto his back and lies there looking up at the blue glow of the dying portal. A brown streak emerges from the portal just as it disappears for the final time._

_As Mordecai lays over the snow looking up at the now empty arch, Bloodwing floats down and lands on his chest. The bird wanders up towards Mordecai's face and taps lightly on one of the yellow lenses covering his eyes._

_Leaning down, it pulls playfully at the side of Mordecai's mask as he reaches up with his left hand and pushes the bird gently away._

ROLAND (O.S.)

I thought I saw something rocket past us.

_While he wrestles his fingers out of Bloodwings beak, Mordecai looks over towards the sound to find Roland stood not too far away. Lilith and Brick are on the far side of Roland, looking back out towards the cliff side of the plateau._

MORDECAI

The bird saved my life. He's a better tracker than you are.

ROLAND

Yeah, well. Don't start celebrating just yet.

_Roland looks back up. Mordecai starts to pull himself up to a crouch, wincing as he places some weight on his injured leg and spinning back to look in the same direction as Roland. Upon seeing what Roland's talking about, he freezes._

_In front of the group, at least two dozen soldiers, a mix of both Lance and Atlas have trained their weapons on the group. Two outrunners sit over to the right, near the edge of the plateau next to what looks like a jeep with a rocket launch mounted on the back. At the front of the group stands Jack. He's hunched over slightly and holding a hand over the wound he received to his right side earlier. As he moves, flashes of a bandage can be seen through the hole in his uniform._

_With his free hand he holds his pistil towards Roland. The anger at coming away from the vault empty handed is clearly evident in his voice, despite him doing everything he can to maintain a calm and controlled demeanour._

JACK

Right. Now that that problem has been dealt with, I want that ball.

_Roland reaches down into the remaining pouch by his waist and pulls out the sphere he found inside the vault. He holds it up at face level, taking a moment to run his eyes over the lines etched into the object._

_Rotating his hand towards Jack he switches his gaze to look at the Atlas leader._

ROLAND

This one?

_Jack takes a step towards Roland. His hands pushes down harder on the wound in his side as he does. Next to Roland, Mordecai slowly stands up, trying to keep all his weight on his good leg._

JACK

Well done. Now toss it over.

_Roland lowers his arm, swinging it back as though about to throw the sphere over to Jack. This receives a questioning look from Lilith. Mordecai doesn't show any immediate reaction and Brick is too busy eyeing of as many soldiers behind Jack as he can. Roland's arm begins to swing back forwards however he never releases the sphere, instead raising it back to his chest._

ROLAND

Not just yet.

_Jack shows a visible burst of pain as he raises his hand to catch the sphere that was never thrown to him. Bringing his hand back down to his wound, he growls an order._

JACK

Shoot them!

_The plateau is filled with the sound of metallic clicking as the soldiers all ready their weapons preparing to pull the triggers. Roland throws both his hands up._

ROLAND

Whoah, wait-wait-wait wait-wait!

_Jack holds his right hand in the air._

JACK

Hold!

_The four main characters stand motionless, breath held in their throats, but none of the Atlas soldiers fire._

ROLAND

You'll get your ball. I just want to … try something first.

_He looks over to his left, where Angel is stood. None of the other characters can see her and more than a few look confused as he turns his attention away from Jack. Angel gives Roland a nod and he turns away from her towards Lilith, stood next to him._

ROLAND

Lilith.

LILITH

Yeah?

_As Lilith looks around, the soldiers behind Jack all train their guns on her. Noticing this, Roland holds out his free hand defensively._

ROLAND

Relax.

_Roland holds the ball towards Lilith, offering it to her. Responding to the gesture, she holds out her hand, palm up and he places it in her hand, maintaining his grip on it as he does so._

ROLAND

Behold, your origins.

_At first Lilith doesn't react, however after a moment her eyes start darting around as she observes something unseen in front of her. This lasts a few moments and ends when Lilith jerks her hands away from the ball, leaving Roland once again stood holding it._

JACK

Are you done?

_Roland looks around awkwardly._

ROLAND

I… uh…

_He leans in towards Lilith._

ROLAND

I was really hoping that would take a bit longer.

JACK

Now Roland. Have found yourself without some crazy escape plan.

ROLAND

I'm good on the second half.

JACK

This is taking too long.

_Jack spins back to the soldier behind him._

JACK

Kill them. Except Roland. I want the last shot on him.

_The soldiers once again ready their guns as Jack squeezes through a gap in their lines. Lilith instantly pulls up a shield and Brick cracks his knuckles, ready to charge the soldiers. Roland holds both his arms out waving for the soldiers to stop._

ROLAND

Wait. No no. There's no need to kill us. Just hold on a moment.

_A loud electronic scream rings through the area. Half the soldiers switch their aim towards the noise, which is coming from the direction of the thin chasm._

_A moment later Claptrap comes tearing through the bushes. Rolling right between the soldiers and the four lead characters, the small robot carves a groove in the snow as it hurries to get as far away from the opening as possible._

_A beat later it's revealed why._

_The plateau is suddenly filled with screeching guardians as they dive through the gap chasing after Claptrap. Seeing the soldiers pointing guns in their direction, the alien's swoop down towards Jack's troops._

_Gunfire fills the air as the soldiers retaliate with gunfire. The bullets bunce harmlessly off of the alien's shields and a number of soldiers are thrown into the air by the creatures._

_Roland springs to life, turning first to Lilith and then Mordecai._

ROLAND

Time to go. Brick. Get Mordecai.

_Brick darts past Roland towards Mordecai. Lilith keeps her shield held up and sidesteps to try and put her companions behind it as well._

MORDECAI

Go where?

ROLAND

I'll worry about that. Let's T.C. a vehicle.

LILITH

TC?

_Roland spins, appearing a little surprised that she doesn't know what the term is._

ROLAND

Tactically comm…? Pick one, get in.

_Over to Roland's other side, Mordecai lets out a short cry of pain as Brick hauls him off of his feet and throws him over the large man's shoulder. Mordecai resists at first but, realizing he's left with little choice settles into the uncomfortable position. As he's lifted, Bloodwing jumps off of the hunter and floats in the air for a moment._

MORDECAI

If I'm shot in the arse…

_One of the nearby soldiers notices the four character's starting to move off and fires a shot in Brick's direction. This immediately catches Bloodwing's attention and the bird swoops towards the soldier, dodging the return gunfire and digging its claws into the soldiers face a moment later, lashing out with its beak to gouge out the soldiers eyes._

_Across the plateau, the soldiers begin to organise themselves back into some kind of formation. Gunfire rings out as they fire at the aliens. None of the bullets manage to get through, all of them being stopped by the aliens shields as they swoop down and pick off the soldiers._

_One soldier is thrown right off the side of the cliff, while another is simply flung into the air, rebounding off of the side of the arch. Grabbing an Atlas soldier, one of the aliens activates its energy blade and slides it into the soldiers chest. Tearing out the blade, the dead soldier is tossed to the side._

ROLAND

Lets go!

_Lilith moves forwards, keeping her shield up. She looks behind her in an attempt to keep Roland and Brick behind it. Roland however doesn't have the patience for the slow movement and takes off, running ahead of Lilith._

ROLAND

Faster!

_Brick takes off after Roland leaving Lilith stood there holding her shield for a moment. Without the others to try and protect, she quickens her pace, quickly turning it into a sprint._

_She doesn't get far as one of the aliens swoops down in front of her, swinging its blade. Dodging out of the way, the blade just misses, but much to Lilith's horror, it passes right through her shield as though it's not there, coming extraordinarily close to cutting across her stomach._

_The guardian swings at her again and Lilith only just manages to jump out of the way, dropping her shield as she does so._

321. EXT. ERIDIAN PROMONTORY, VAULT ENTRANCE – SUNRISE

_Further across the plateau, Roland glances back to see how close behind everyone else is to him. Seeing the alien between Lilith and the rest of the group, he stops and groans._

ROLAND

Really?!

_Brick stops next to him, still carrying Mordecai. His vest is stained with blood from Mordecai's leg, which still trickles, although it has slowed right down since the initial injury. Roland quickly glances towards him, shouting out an order._

ROLAND

Get Mordecai in a vehicle.

_As Brick moves away, Roland starts to dash back towards Lilith._

322. EXT. ERIDIAN PROMONTORY, VAULT ENTRANCE – SUNRISE

_Lilith dodges another slash aimed towards her chest and creates a small bolt of energy between her hands. Tossing it at the alien she receives yet another shock when the ball seems to stick to the creature's shield for a moment before simply being absorbed harmlessly into it._

_Dashing forwards, the alien grabs her with both of its arms and lifts her into the air._

323. EXT. ERIDIAN PROMONTORY, VAULT ENTRANCE – SUNRISE

_Roland has almost reached Lilith when she's lifted off of the ground. As she rises beyond his possible reach he slows down, watching her for a moment._

_The whistle of a bullet whizzing right past his nose snaps him back into the battle as he instinctively turns his head in the direction the bullet came from._

_Jack is stood a couple meters to his side. He still holds his wound with one hand, while the other points the pistil that just fired the shot in Roland's direction._

ROLAND

Uh-uh.

_Roland takes a step backwards before spinning back in the direction of the vehicles, right into the arms of a Crimson Lance soldier approaching from behind him._

_The Lance soldier wastes no time in grabbing both of Roland's arms and swinging them around his back, holding them securely while he's forced to turn back to Jack._

_Jack approaches slowly keeping the weapon trained on Roland._

324. EXT. ERIDIAN PROMONTORY, VAULT ENTRANCE – SUNRISE

_Lilith struggles against the aliens grip as it flies upwards. A number of meters above the rest of the battle happening on the plateau, the creature stops and hovers in the air for a moment. Glancing down, Lilith quickly comes to the realisation that she's going to have to face the drop one way or another._

_Looking right into the creature's small, black eyes she vanishes from sight, sending out a shockwave that blasts the creature off of her. The world becomes hazy and washed out as Lilith begins to fall in her invisible state._

_By sheer chance, about half way down, another alien flies right underneath Lilith, causing her to bounce off of the insect-like creature and slowing her fall enough so that when she hits the snow a few meters later, she's bruised, but otherwise not too badly injured._

325. EXT. ERIDIAN PROMONTORY, VAULT ENTRANCE – SUNRISE

_Jack is stood right in front of Roland. Swapping his gun into his left hand, he reaches down and opens up the pouch by Roland's waist, reaching in. The sphere is in his hand as he removes it from the pouch. Holding up the sphere so he can look at it up close, he gives Roland a taunting, victorious smile._

JACK

I win again.

ROLAND

Says who?

JACK

Why did you really come here Roland? Was it for the vault? Or for me?

_Roland glares at Jack, refusing to answer._

JACK

You know, for all your brilliant planning, you haven't thought this through at all. You're wanted in almost every galaxy. What do you think will happen if you murder me? Huh? You'll be knocked up to the top. You'll become the most hunted man in the Universe.

ROLAND

I'd better cover my tracks then.

_Jack takes half a step back and points his pistil point blank range at Roland's head. He doesn't get the chance to pull the trigger though as a shockwave blasts out as Lilith re-emerges between them. Both Roland and Jack are sent flying off in different directions._

_As Jack takes off, the small sphere rockets out of his hand, also caught in the blast and lands in a patch of snow, right in the middle of the battle between the aliens and the last few remaining soldiers._

_Roland hits the ground a good four meters away from where he was stood before. He's moved parallel to the vehicles so isn't really any closer to them then he was before._

_Picking himself up off of the ground, he starts to make his way towards the vehicle. Off to his left, Lilith is also moving in the same direction._

_Roland suddenly stops as the Lance soldier that was grabbing him appears between him and the vehicles and points his assault rifle at Roland._

_The Lance solider begins to squeeze on the trigger but before he can unleash a round, he's smacked from behind and ends up on his back. Having brought the soldier to the ground, Brick leans down over the soldier and gives him a good punch to the face as Roland covers the distance between them._

ROLAND

No time for that. Come on.

_Roland passes Brick and it doesn't take him long to reach the three vehicles. Mordecai has been placed in the back seat of the jeep with the rocket launcher turret. Racing around to the driver side door, Roland jumps in as Lilith takes the passenger seat and Brick climbs in the back, placing himself in a small seat just behind the turret. Bloodwing swoops down, joining the party and perching himself back on Mordecai's shoulder._

_As Roland starts the engine Claptrap suddenly appears, racing along the edge of the plateau towards their position._

CLAPTRAP

Hey wait! Wait for me.

_Roland chooses not to wait and Claptrap only just manages to wrap one of its hands around the bar at the back of the jeep before Roland hits the accelerator. The sudden acceleration causes Claptrap's wheel to come off the ground as it keeps an iron grip on the vehicle._

_Roland drives forwards for a few meters before throwing the car into a slide, turning it around._

ROLAND

I highly recommend seatbelts.

MORDECAI

Finally, someone who knows how to drive.

_Roland rockets forwards at first aiming for the heart of the battle happening further into the plateau however he suddenly spins the wheel, turning the car away from the battle and right off of the side of the plateau._

326. EXT. ERIDIAN PROMONTORY, MOUNTAIN SIDE – SUNRISE

_Plummeting down the side of the mountain, the four main characters scream in terror. Bloodwing flaps its wings and disappears from Mordecai's shoulder. Claptrap still hangs onto the back of the vehicle with its hands while the rest of the robot flaps around behind it._

_After a few beats of screaming, Mordecai manages to lean forwards, despite being restricted by the harness around his waist and yells at Roland._

MORDECAI

Please tell me you didn't just deliberately drive us of the side of a mountain!

ROLAND

Can't do that, I'm afraid!

MORDECAI

I bloody knew it! I knew I was safer with the bad guys!

ROLAND

Don't worry. I've done this before!

MORDECAI

When?

ROLAND

When we first entered this planet!

MORDECAI

… … You were in a ship that time. They're designed to fly!

_Below the vehicle is the face of the mountain that Roland was looking at before they entered the vault, with its smooth surface and gentle curve near the bottom as it transitions from near vertical to horizontal. The vehicle falls a good number of feet from the side of the mountain and is on a heavy lean, pointing almost straight downwards, causing the characters to lean right back into their seats._

_Roland spins around and shouts back._

ROLAND

Brick! I need you to fire up!

_Brick grabs the mounted rocket launcher and spins around to aim back up the mountain. He squeezes the trigger and sends out a rocket. The kick from the launcher causes the vehicle to jump downwards, with a short but noticeable speed increase._

327. EXT. ERIDIAN PROMONTORY, MOUNTAIN PEAK – SUNRISE

_The rocket sails past the plateau and impacts against the snow near the mountains peak. As the blast goes off a good portion of snow both above and below the explosion is dislodged and begins to roll down the mountain, quickly picking up speed._

328. EXT. ERIDIAN PROMONTORY, MOUNTAIN SIDE – SUNRISE

_Roland turns around at the sudden jump downwards and yells at Brick._

ROLAND  
No. Up! UP!

_He actively points in the direction he means. It's not true up, but up from the vehicles perspective._

_Brick raises the launcher as high as it will go. It doesn't quite go as vertical as Roland would like, but it still manages a decent amount of height. As Brick fires off a second rocket, the kick sends the vehicle a foot closer to the mountain face._

329. EXT. ERIDIAN PROMONTORY, THE VAULT – SUNRISE

_Jack scrambles in the snow and after a moment finds what he was looking for. Pulling his hand close, he lets out a relieved smile as he looks at the sphere enclosed in his fingers._

_His relief is short lived however as a loud roar rings out through the area. Moments later the entire plateau is covered underneath the sea of snow set loose by Brick's first rocket. As the avalanche passes over the plateau it buries everything including the arch and all the remaining soldiers._

330. EXT. ERIDIAN PROMONTORY, MOUNTAIN SIDE – SUNRISE

_Hearing a faint roar Mordecai spins in his seat. The lens in his helmet reflects the avalanche chasing them down the side of the mountain._

MORDECAI

ROLAND!

_Roland spins around and his eyes widen as he sees the white cloud of snow. Brick fires off another rocket, which soars outwards away from the mountain and pushes the vehicle closer still to the face. Having been falling for some time, the side of the mountain begins its very gradual transition to horizontal._

_Brick fires yet another rocket which pushes the car close enough to the side for the wheels to bounce off of the side of the mountain face._

_Behind them the wave of snow is rapidly catching up, building itself up as it rolls down the side of the mountain._

_Roland pushes his foot down flat on the accelerator, hoping to pick up any extra speed he can possibly muster._

_As the mountain side begins to level out, the vehicle bounces across the surface again, causing Roland to fight the wheel for a moment as the force causes the tires to veer off._

_Coming down once more, the vehicle this time keeps enough of its weight to attach them permanently to the side of the mountain. Roland pushes down on the accelerator but even though the wheel are spinning, they are sliding faster than the wheels can keep up._

_The slope in the mountain reaches almost forty five degrees. A tree suddenly springs up in front of the vehicle. Roland jerks the wheel in an attempt to dodge around it. The car doesn't really turn, but the action is enough to cause them to slide over to the side slightly and they rocket past it, missing the thick trunk by inches._

_Small bullets of snow being spat out from the avalanche, now right behind them, start to hit the back of the vehicle. Claptrap continues to let out a piercing electronic scream as it flails behind the vehicle, incredibly managing to maintain its grip on the bar at the back._

_As the mountain continues to flatten out, the chasm suddenly springs up in front of them. It looks like something has just taken a groove out of the side of the mountain near the bottom. The far side is lower than the mountain side and beyond the chasm the snow comes to a stop and gives way to a grassy plain._

_Roland continues to pump the accelerator as the chasm races up to meet them. Behind them the avalanche is so close that the vehicle begins to disappear underneath the cloud of snow. Mordecai lets out a worried cry._

_Suddenly the car hits the edge of the chasm and the wheels once more separate from the ground as the vehicle sails over the deep cut in the mountain._

_The time that they are airborne seems to be forever, however after a few very tense moments, the wheels hit the ground on the other side and the vehicle continues its descent down the final section of the mountain._

_Only a minimal amount of snow from the avalanche makes it to the other side of the chasm. Most of it falls into the pit and no longer poses any danger to the main characters. The snow that does make it across lightly rolls down after the vehicle and eventually comes to a rest._

331. EXT. HEADLANDS, GRASSY PLAIN - SUNRISE

_Roland manages to keep control of the vehicle and releases the gas, allowing it to roll on its own terms. As the mountain finishes levelling out, the vehicle starts to slow down until eventually it comes to a stop, encouraged by a few easy pumps on the brake by Roland._

_Releasing the buckle holding him down to his seat, Mordecai opens up the door closest to him and all but drops out of the vehicle, hugging the earth beneath his body._

_Roland lets out a relieved laugh, which quickly fills the area as the remaining characters pile out of he vehicle. Still gripping the bar with an iron deadlock, Claptrap can only manage an exasperated whimper as it pulls itself onto its wheel._

_Lilith smiles, but doesn't really make any noise and Brick climbs out of the back of the vehicle straight faced and silent. Allowing the adrenaline rush to slowly wear off, Roland eventually calms down and becomes quiet taking a few deep breaths._

_Putting himself back in a serious mindset, Roland walk around the vehicle, followed by Lilith and places himself in front of Mordecai. Brick slowly wanders over from the back of the vehicle._

_Roland reaches down and grabs Mordecai's shoulder, pulling him to his feet._

ROLAND  
We need to talk.

_Before Mordecai can react, he's thrown off of his feet by a punch from Roland. Bouncing off of the side of the vehicle, Mordecai hits the ground on his stomach. As he falls, Lilith leaps forwards, putting herself between Roland and Mordecai._

LILITH

Jesus! What the hell are you doing?

BRICK

Hey?!

_Brick lets out a growl and steps forwards towards Roland, but Roland points a warning finger at the large man._

ROLAND

Brick, stay back!

_Although he could easily overpower Roland, Brick still stops and watches as Roland, pushes himself past Lilith and grabs Mordecai again by the collar, hauling him to his feet. A spot of blood runs down from a small cut in his lip._

MORDECAI

Great talk.

ROLAND

Oh, he's being smart.

_Roland smacks Mordecai again, sending him back to the ground. As Roland leans back in towards Mordecai, he's suddenly accosted by Bloodwing who swoops out of the sky and instantly latches onto Roland's face._

_Batting both of his arms around defensively, Roland attempts to knock Bloodwing off. His forearm manages to hit the front of the bird, causing it to float away from Roland for a moment before diving back in and trying to blind him again._

_From the ground, Mordecai yells up._

MORDECAI

BLOODWING! No!

_Hearing Mordecai's shouts, Bloodwing releases Roland, who now sports scratches down both sides of his face, and hovers a few feet above Mordecai before perching on top of the vehicle._

_Roland turns back to Mordecai but he's now being shielded by Lilith, who puts herself in front of him._

ROLAND

Move aside.

LILITH

No.

_Roland is equal parts shocked and annoyed at her resistance._

ROLAND

He betrayed us.

_From the ground Mordecai softly growls back._

MORDECAI

I can only say sorry so many times.

ROLAND

Sorry? You stood there and let them kill us.

MORDECAI

No! That is not true! I had a deal with them to keep you alive.

ROLAND  
I had a legal inheritance. You can see how effective that was.

_Roland throws out a fist in frustration, punching thorugh the air and spinning away from Mordecai and Lilith. Near the back of the vehcle, Brick looks sprung enough to punch anyone who moves within a few feet of him._

ROLAND

Man, you've been helping me to fight Atlas for ten years now. How could you possibly be so stupid?

LILITH

This was all Steele.

_Hearing Lilith talk, Roland spins back around._

LILITH

She was a Siren, like me. The first time they were in the same room together, she knew exactly how to manipulate him.

ROLAND

Yeah. The old wife and kid sob story. I hate to break it to you Mordecai, but despite what Atlas told you, that life is never coming back. You signed that waiver, the first time we went out on a mission together.

MORDECAI

My family…

ROLAND

…are gone… You know what hurts the most from all of this. The fact that you have completely missed the obvious here. You have a family, man. Brick, Falcon, me. We're you're new family. Hell, for a while, I thought we were brothers. But you know what, I give up. I've put up with this shit for the last ten years. I think its about time you got over it.

MORDECAI

Oh, that's rich, coming from the man who refuses to tell Brick his sister's dead.

BRICK

WHAT?!

_Brick suddenly springs to life and begins to storm towards Roland._

ROLAND

We don't know that!

_Brick reaches Roland and grabs the soldier, throwing him to the ground. Roland manages to soften his fall by throwing his hands out, but Brick is quickly on top of him, holding him down. He raises a threatening fist._

BRICK

WHERE IS SHE?!

ROLAND

I don't know!

BRICK

TELL ME!

ROLAND

I don't… We heard a rumor… OK… That's it. A rumor. There's nothing confirmed, and the source is less than reliable.

BRICK

Where?

ROLAND

Hephaestus. Third moon.

_Brick releases Roland and steps away._

ROLAND

If I thought, that there was even a hint of truth to it, we would have gone straight away.

_Roland stops for a moment and examines his three former companions now glaring at him, realizing that the tables have completely turned against him._

_Lilith kneels down next to Mordecai._

LILITH

Are you okay?

MORDECAI

Walking is going to be a bitch. But I should be fine.

_Bloodwing floats down from the vehicle, landing gently on Mordecai's shoulder. He nips playfully at Lilith's hand, but stops far from actually hurting her._

_Grabbing a hold of Lilith's hand, Mordecai uses her help to pull himself to his feet. Moving forwards, he painfully limps towards Roland. Lilith offers him her shoulder, but he rejects it, holding out an arm, silently asking her to stay back._

MORDECAI

Roland. I really am sorry for what I did. I didn't see any other choice at the time, and if there was anything I could do to make it up to you...

ROLAND

Man, I forgive you, but I don't think there is.

_There's a moments silence._

MORDECAI

So now what?

ROLAND

I have no idea.

_Both characters stand there for a beat._

ROLAND

You know what. You want your old life back? Go and get it. Next chance I get, I'll put out a fake report that you're dead. Should remove you from any wanted lists and get the authorities off your back. Pick a new name, keep that mask on and you're golden.

MORDECAI

And what about you?

ROLAND

Me? I'm going home.

_Roland steps backwards a few paces before spinning around, away from the rest of the group. After a couple steps he quickly glances back._

ROLAND

Too bad the vault was empty. I could a used some extra cash.

_Turning away he walks slowly from the vehicle. He doesn't walk fast but nor does he turn back or slow down. As he starts to put some distance between himself and his former companions, the sun finally finishes cresting the mountain off to their side and the sky, which was a deep red earlier, transitions into a bright blue._

_The music begins to swell, preparing for the end credits and as the camera looks into the sun, the screen appears to begin to fade to black._

MORDECAI (O.S.)

Wait!

_The false ending is cut short as Roland spins back towards Mordecai, who's limping after him followed closely by Brick and Lilith._

MORDECAI

You owe me. Quite a bit.

_Roland rolls his eyes, annoyed that he's being chased down for financial reasons._

ROLAND

I wouldn't get your hopes up.

MORDECAI

Well that's too bad for you, because I'm hanging around until you pay me every cent.

_Roland is now more than a little miffed, trying to work out what game Mordecai is playing._

MORDECAI

And from here on in I'm charging interest. One hundred percent for every day I don't get it.

_He figures it out. Roland allows a small smile but quickly erases it from his face as Mordecai reaches him._

MORDECAI

So I guess you'll be stuck with me for a while.

_Putting himself right in front of Roland, the two vault hunters stare each other down for a moment before Roland finally breaks the silence._

ROLAND

We are not friends right now…

_They continue to stare at one another, but after a beat, Roland's face is split with a grin._

ROLAND

But It'll be good to have you watching my back again.

MORDECAI

Who said anything about watching your back?

ROLAND

Oh, well. Good luck getting paid if I'm dead.

_Mordecai moves to one side and places himself next to Roland, spinning around to face Lilith and Brick._

_Starting to find his groove again, Roland calls back._

ROLAND  
How about it Brick. Any outstanding debts?

_Brick holds up his hand and pulls up the stub where his middle finger used to be, directing the failed gesture towards Roland._

ROLAND

I'm not sure where I'll find one of those. But what the hell, come on over.

_Brick jogs over to Roland and Mordecai, leaving Lilith stood on her own, once again the outsider to the trio's original group._

_After a moment, though, Roland calls back to her as well._

ROLAND

How about you, Princess. I owe you anything?

_Lilith doesn't immediately answer, instead holding up her right arm and running her left hand over the markings that snake their way up to her shoulder. Half looking up, she softly answers._

LILITH

No.

_Of the trio, Mordecai appears the most shocked at her answer, although Roland is more than a little surprised._

_Still running her fingers over the markings, Lilith summons a ball of energy in her right hand, holding it above her palm for a moment before allowing it to fade out. Remaining motionless for a beat she finally looks up._

LILITH

But I owe you.

_She starts to move towards them as Roland once more flashes a large grin at the Siren._

LILITH

So I guess I'll be hanging around until I manage to repay you.

_She covers the rest of the distance quickly placing herself in front of Roland._

ROLAND

You might as well give it straight to Mordecai.

_Lilith looks over towards the hunter, with Bloodwing perched upon his shoulder. Catching the less than subtle hint from Roland she gives Mordecai a sly smile. Bloodwing takes on the response, letting out a loud shriek that carries across the grass plains as Lilith puts herself between Roland and Mordecai, grabbing the hunter's arm and wrapping it around her shoulders._

_The film closes with a hero shot of the four vault hunters striding across the plains, headed towards future adventures._

~Fin~


End file.
